AUGUST 20229THE ROOT OF SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOURCING3 percent of that annual harvest is used for the production of biomass. Furthermore, privately owned forests generate 2.5 million jobs and contribute $92 billion to the nation's gross domestic product, according to a report by the NAFO.So Why Woody Biomass? The use of wood bioenergy as a climate change mitigation measure, has been and continues to be supported by some of the most authoritative scientific institutions and government bodies around the world, such as the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), International Energy Agency, the UK Committee on Climate Change, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the European Union, among many others. In fact, all IPCC scenarios show bioenergy use is substantial in all pathways that limit temperature rise to 1.5°C because of its multiple roles in decarbonizing energy use. When sourced responsibly, woody biomass is proven to be a low-carbon, "drop-in" solution to replace fossil fuels. In fact, when used to displace fossil fuels, sustainably sourced wood pellets reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 85 percent on a lifecycle basis compared to coal, and by more than 70 percent compared to natural gas. When working with forests, how can companies ensure supply is sustainably sourced? 1) Implement policies and procedures2) Tracking and verifying3) Reporting Sustainability teams should hold companies responsible for the systems, processes, and certifications that guide their fiber procurement activities with the goal of knowing precisely where their fiber comes from. In Enviva's case, we strictly adhere to our Responsible Sourcing Policy to ensure we only source low-value wood from land planned to be replanted as forests and according to the strictest sustainability and environmental standards. In doing this, we incentivize landowners to keep their land as forests and provide an additional source of income.Companies should consider developing a framework for collecting and verifying the accuracy of their forest-based sourcing data to guide their efforts in ensuring supply chain traceability. Once established, such frameworks and/or policies should be verified through a third-party audit.Enviva's innovative and proprietary Track & Trace® (T&T®) program provides detailed insights into the company's sourcing activities by tracking all of the wood to its origin. Once collected, Enviva publishes all of the data on its website for public consumption. Finally, companies should also be transparent about their carbon footprint. We recommend publishing a quarterly or annual sustainability report, a net-zero climate pledge, or an environmental impact report to showcase a company's green efforts. In conclusion, in today's global economy, all companies need to ensure they are doing right by forests and people. It is mission critical for every person and company to play an active role to solidifying a sustainable future for all. Companies should consider developing a framework for collecting and verifying the accuracy of their forest-based sourcing data to guide their efforts in ensuring supply chain traceability
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