CannedWater4Kids (CW4K) and INX International Ink Co. have joined forces to send a rush delivery of drinking water to help in the Hurricane Harvey disaster relief efforts. A truckload of 52,800, 12-ounce cans of fresh, purified water is scheduled to arrive today at a Red Cross Distribution Center near Houston.
Hurricane Harvey made landfall for the first time on August 25 and landed a devastating blow to the Gulf Coast of Texas. A multiple-day event, the Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds was the most powerful hurricane to hit the US in more than a decade. Damage caused by the high winds, torrential rains and record flooding displaced more than 30,000 people and prompted more than 17,000 rescues.
The effects of Hurricane Harvey will impact southeast Texas for a long time. Fortunately, humanitarian efforts from companies including CW4K and INX are helping the efforts in Texas.
“This is the first of many truckloads we hope to send,” said Greg Stromberg, CannedWater4Kids water charity CEO. “Without hesitation, we helped. It was the right thing to do because clean, safe drinking water is a valuable resource. One doesn’t realize how valuable until it is gone.”
“We are doing our part as good corporate citizens,” remarked Renee Schouten, director of marketing for INX. “It is important to be there for people, in good times and in bad. Providing clean water to communities enduring a crisis will aid in recovery and hopefully give some sense of comfort to those in need.”
Added Stromberg, “Coordinating and financing the water delivery was a team effort. We couldn’t have done it without the help of INX International and the Red Cross organization. Their help and support was incredible.”
CW4K is no stranger to disaster relief. Whether it was the earthquakes in Japan and Haiti, Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey in 2012, or help for the lead-contaminated municipal water supply in Flint, MI, the 501c3 charity was there with clean, safe drinking water packaged in 12-ounce aluminum beverage cans.
Starting from December 2024, the European Union Deforestation-free products Regulation (EUDR) will be implemented. This new legislation aims to prevent the sale of seven commodity products – soy, beef, palm oil, wood, cocoa, coffee, and rubber – that are major drivers of deforestation, if sourced from areas affected by deforestation or forest degradation practices. By promoting the consumption of “deforestation-free” products and reducing the EU’s impact on global deforestation and forest degradation, the new EUDR is expected to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss. The EUDR will require us to provide evidence that every quantity of pulp we purchase from outside the EU comes from areas free from deforestation. To comply with the Regulation, wood must have been harvested from land that was not subject to deforestation and without inducing forest degradation after December 31, 2020.
UPM’s new biodiversity target is one of the company’s responsibility targets for 2030. The aim is to preserve biodiversity alongside modern forestry. “We want to preserve and improve the biodiversity in UPM’s own forests in Finland. With this target and through our actions, we seek to open up new opportunities for different land use practises that promote the preservation of natural resources or habitats”, says Timo Lehesvirta, Sustainable Forestry Lead, Forest Global, UPM. UPM has carried out its biodiversity protection programme in the company’s forests for over 20 years. Thanks to the programme, the ratios of tree species have diversified and the amount of deadwood, which is valuable to many forest species, is increasing. Natural variation in forests has been improved through thickets for game, by protecting valuable habitats and buffer zones next to water, and by leaving retention trees and tree groups on harvesting sites. Some species are specialised to grow in conditions that differ from the surrounding forest environment. There are 45,000 protected habitats in UPM forests, and the programme protects all of them. Click Read More below for additional detail.
Yupo Corporation America has joined the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership, (SGP), as a Silver Level Patron.
SGP is the leading authority in sustainable printing certifications for print manufacturers. Through its patronage, Yupo joins other print industry leaders dedicated to promoting sustainability, supporting the aims of SGP and keeping costs low for certification of print facilities.
“Supporting SGP not only aligns with Yupo’s corporate sustainability functions, but demonstrates the company’s leadership and advocacy for sustainable print operations,” according to Marci Kinter, Chair SGP Technical Committee. “Although SGP does not certify Yupo products, it does recognize the role the company plays within the print value chain.”