Exploring the social responsibility efforts of the forestry industry in New Zealand

Authors: G Villamor, L Wallace, P Clinton
Publication: New Zealand Journal of Forestry, Volume N.Z.J.For. 2024, Issue N.Z.J.For. 68(4) 2024, pp Pages 18 - 22, Feb 2024
Publisher: New Zealand Institute of Forestry

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Abstract: This review explores the current corporate social responsibility (CSR) landscape in the New Zealand forestry sector alongside the concept’s perceived relevance to New Zealand’s forestry firms. We assessed the publicly available sustainability and annual reports, including relevant information, of 20 locally operating forestry firms. Our initial findings show that the reporting of CSR initiatives remains limited as a communication tool for firms’ CSR efforts. This suggests that some forest firms do not communicate their CSR activities. On the other hand, we have identified 585 CSR-related activities, of which 25% are mainly focused on forest protection activities such as fire response and species conservation. The data collected in this review sets the baseline position for the state of CSR in New Zealand and will serve as the benchmark against which progress in this area can be measured and reported. We conclude with a discussion of current sectoral strengths in the area of CSR alongside opportunities for future research.

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