SFI appoints new Sustainability Director

Peter J. Johnson, a leading expert in third-party forest certification and sustainability, has joined the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) as Managing Director, Office of Sustainability.

As Vice President of Sustainability and Climate Change with PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting since 2005, Johnson helped Fortune 100 and brand name companies develop and implement sustainable business strategies based on economic, environmental and social performance. He led multiple teams and worked with companies and organizations of all sizes across a range of sectors such as the telecommunications, real estate, aerospace, transportation, retail, forest products, manufacturing, bioenergy, financial, hotel and leisure, insurance and professional services, governments and associations.

"Peter is a registered professional forester and has more than 20 years of broad international experience with issues related to sustainability, procurement and forest certification," SFI Inc. President and CEO Kathy Abusow said today. "He conducted some of the first audits to the SFI and Canadian Standards Association standards and was Inaugural Chair of the SFI Auditor’s Forum. At SFI, he will combine this forestry and auditing expertise with his extensive sustainability consulting experience to help clarify and build awareness of SFI’s contributions to responsible forestry amongst foundations, consumer-facing brands, customers and the financial services sector."

"I have been involved in forest certification in North America since it began in the 1990s, and have witnessed the remarkable commitment by the forest sector, the steady uptake by markets, and the rapid growth of the SFI program," said Johnson. "Forests are essential to the health of our environment, our economy and our society – they support one of the few truly sustainable sectors in the world. I am pleased to be part of the SFI team, joining staff and participants whose experience, dedication and integrity have led to a standard that is respected and recognized around the world. I look forward to building on that success with everyone involved in the program, and with everyone who understands the importance of responsible forest management."