Anyone who’s ever tried to google search “sustainable / responsible fiber procurement” knows the internet is a very big place, especially when you’re starting out. That’s why SPC Forest Products and the Verifying Responsible Sourcing (VRS) Collaborative decided to create the VRS Guide!

Attend this session to find out why responsible sourcing matters, what’s the deal with uncertified fiber in the US, which questions you should be asking your suppliers, and how our SPC members plan to use this guide to make their lives easier. Now featuring a Special Interview with Chad Leatherwood, Environmental Manager for Raw Materials and Residuals, Weyerhaeuser and Rodrigue Kreilmann, Sustainable Sourcing Manager, Mars Wrigley Confectionery.
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    Tom Pollock
    Associate Director Forest Products, GreenBlue
    Tom Pollock is a Senior Manager at GreenBlue who works across supply chains and industries from global brands to family forest owners. Tom believes that affecting meaningful change comes through the power of collaboration, cultivating communities of leadership thinking, and creative problem-solving. Tom leads SPC Forest Products, a coalition of companies across industry sectors that are working together to support thriving forests. He serves as GreenBlues lead on Forests in Focus; a next-generation sourcing platform that brings data and visibility to forest products supply chains in order to support forests and the benefits they provide including clean air and water, wildlife, and combating climate change. Tom regularly speaks at industry events and also provides advisory services on topics related to sustainable supply chains, corporate environmental strategy, and measuring sustainable performance. Tom holds an MBA from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a BA in English from the University of Iowa.
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    Shea Wales
    Project Coordinator Forest Products, GreenBlue
    Shea joined the SPC Forest Products team in July 2019. Her science background, collaborative spirit, and passion for sustainability complement her role at GreenBlue, where she helps to facilitate projects and SPC Collaboratives. Shea received her MS in Biology (studying Forest Ecology) from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her research sought to understand why some forest stands are “better” at growing and more equipped to withstand climatic disturbances than others. She also holds a BS in Environmental Biology with a minor in Environmental Policy from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.
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    Chad Leatherwood
    Environmental Manager for Raw Materials and Residuals
    Chad is currently the Environmental Manager for Raw Materials and Residuals at Weyerhaeuser. In this role, he provides coordination between corporate certification programs, environmental compliance teams, and operations on end-to-end management of raw materials and wood residuals. He is specifically responsible for the implementation of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Fiber Sourcing Standard at 36 Weyerhaeuser facilities and coordination of mill residual teams to improve tracking, analysis, and conformance with the company Product Stewardship Policy.

    In previous roles, Chad lead forest certification and sustainability program activities at Evergreen Packaging. He spent over 10 years in the renewable energy sector with a specific focus on landfill gas energy and greenhouse gas emission credit generation projects. He has extensive experience in development and implementation of air quality programs.

    Chad is a licensed engineer in the State of North Carolina.
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    Rodrigue Kreilmann
    Sustainable Sourcing Manager, Mars Wrigley Confectionery
    Rodrigue Kreilmann is a change management professional, with a focus on integrating sustainability principles within sourcing practices and broader business processes. He has built 10 years of experience within both non-profit and private sector organizations with the singular goal to prove that delivering positive social and environmental impact makes good business sense too. He is currently leading Mars’ global paper-based packaging sustainability program, whereby driving success against 2020 zero-deforestation commitments and building strategic coalitions in critical Forest Landscapes.

    As of December 2020, Rodrigue has also had the pleasure of becoming co-chair for SPC’s Forest Products Group.