Sustainable Forestry
Responsible forest products sourcing
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3M is also committed to responsible forest management across our global supply chain. Because we do not own or manage forest land, we developed our Pulp and Paper Sourcing Policy in 2015 to set standards of excellence for suppliers at all tiers. In 2022, we expanded it into the 3M Forest Products Sourcing Policy.
The 3M Forest Products Sourcing Policy (PDF, 145 KB) sets standards and expectations for all forest product suppliers. We expect all forest products from our suppliers to contain materials that are legally harvested, sourced, transported, and exported from their country of origin. In addition, we expect all suppliers to work to ensure that virgin-wood fiber supplied to 3M is traceable, is harvested in a way that maintains or enhances high conservation values, is free of deforestation, and respects the rights of workers and people who live in or may depend on forests for their livelihood.
Certification: 3M expects our suppliers to know the forest certification status of the material they purchase and of the entities in their supply chain and to disclose certification information to us upon request. 3M’s policy expectations and guidelines are consistent with many forest certification standards, but our policy does not require certification. Certification in and of itself is not the objective of our policy but is one useful tool to help verify what is happening on the ground.
Implementing our policy
To support our policy, we partner with Earthworm Foundation (EF), which works with companies, communities, nongovernmental organizations, and governments to improve environmental and social practices in global supply chains. It provides training and guidance to ensure businesses respect the environment and human rights.
Collaborating with our suppliers around the world, we work to map our forest product supply chain to the forest source. Many suppliers need to go through several layers of their supply chain to obtain more information on the source of harvest, which can be a complex and lengthy process. We have discussions with our suppliers to educate them on the importance of responsible sourcing and forestry practices and understanding their supply chains, as well as setting reasonable goals. These efforts have led to stronger partnerships, engagement, and responses.
3M works with various partners, including EF and American Forest Foundation (AFF), as well as through our supply chains, to support responsible forestry through on-the-ground transformation projects. Traceability and due diligence management system information from our suppliers helps us assess risk, prioritize further supplier engagement, and identify opportunities for landscape assessments and collaborative projects.
With EF’s support, we have conducted field assessments across all regions since implementing our policy, covering millions of hectares. Some of those assessments reviewed Tier 2 pulp mills with participation from Tier 1 suppliers. 3M’s participation in supplier field assessments and transformation projects helps advance responsible sourcing and sustainable forestry.
Metrics 2025 YE:
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Over
20
million hectares assessed -
Over
12
million hectares in transformation projects
