Russia has successfully achieve PEFC re-endorsement of its national forest certification system, confirming that it meets PEFC’s globally recognized Sustainability Benchmarks and ensuring that Russian certified forest owners and companies can benefit from the global acceptance of PEFC. With the Russian Federation containing an estimated 800 million hectares of forest, the equivalent to over 20% of the world's forest area and more than Canada and Brazil combined, the continued development and increase of sustainable forest management in the country will have considerable environmental, social and economic benefits.

Walmart announced that it has reached an agreement with SunPower to have the commercial energy provider install solar systems at 19 stores and two distribution centers in Illinois. As part of the project, a mix of rooftop and ground-mount solar systems are expected to account for 23 megawatts, with start of construction targeted for the first half of 2019. This commitment moves Walmart closer to its 2025 goal of supplying its global operations with 50 percent renewable energy. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, the amount of anticipated annual carbon offset by this initiative will be equal to the amount of carbon sequestered by over 24,000 acres of U.S. forest in one year – the size of Elgin, Ill. Walmart is financing the solar projects through a power purchase agreement (PPA) arranged by SunPower, allowing Walmart to buy power at competitive prices and hedge against future utility rate increases with no upfront capital costs. Click read more below for additional detail.

The Mangrove Ecosystem Restoration Alliance (MERA) is a national platform for stakeholders to ensure the sustainability of the protection and restoration of mangrove ecosystems across the archipelago. Launched by Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN) and the Jakarta Natural Resources Conservation Agency of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in 26 July 2018, the goal of MERA is to reduce the vulnerability of coastal communities, natural resources and vital assets by 2022, by promoting effective management and implementing strategies to conserve and restore mangrove landscapes. In the first phase, MERA plans to restore 500ha of mangroves in three areas around Jakarta Bay; Muara Angke in North Jakarta, Muara Gembong in Bekasi, and Muasa Cisadane in Tangerang. Asia Pulp & Paper Sinar Mas (APP Sinar Mas) signed an agreement to join MERA to support the conservation and restoration of Indonesia’s mangrove ecosystems. As part of the agreement, APP Sinar Mas will commit IDR 4.2 billion (US$300,000) to the MERA programme over five years. Click Read More below for additional information.