Independent Stave Company’s domestic stave mills and cooperages have achieved certification to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI). Moving forward, all American oak barrels manufactured domestically will be certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Fiber Sourcing Standard.
The company said in crafting premium oak barrels, it is dedicated to ensuring healthy, productive forests that will continue for generations to come. They are committed to only using oak that has achieved a sustainable certification.
“Achieving this certification from SFI is a big step in our efforts to become a more sustainable cooperage,” said Brad Boswell, Independent Stave Company CEO and fourth generation cooper. “We believe education and outreach through land and process certification is one of the most effective and manageable solutions to achieve sustainability.”
The company’s Sustainability Manager, Dominic Stelzer, oversaw the processes required for Independent Stave Company to attain certification to SFI. These requirements include measures to broaden the conservation of biodiversity, use forestry best management practices to protect water quality, provide outreach to landowners, and utilize the services of forest management and harvesting professionals.
“At Independent Stave Company, we have always promoted logger education and we work with professionals who use sustainable harvesting practices,” said Independent Stave Company Director of Log Procurement, Garret Nowell. “With our SFI certification, we are further communicating to loggers, landowners, and the community how important sustainable practices are to us. If you own forested land, having a land management plan in place – one that considers wildlife, water quality, and all species of trees – is essential to the sustainability and future of that land.”
Becoming SFI certified aligns with other sustainability initiatives supported by Independent Stave Company. Additional efforts include their involvement in The White Oak Initiative, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), and partnerships with American Forests and the University of Missouri Woodland Steward program.
Independent Stave Company, founded in 1912, is a family-owned cooperage headquartered in Missouri. The company initially serving as a domestic supplier of staves, and today operates as a cooperage company crafting a wide range of barrels and oak products for distilleries, wineries, and breweries in more than 40 countries. In addition to its U.S. facilities in Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio, the company has international cooperage facilities around the globe.
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