In a move that links sustainable forestry practices to the packaging of some of the world's best known consumer products, Sonoco, one of the largest diversified companies, is partnering with the Rainforest Alliance to ensure that the wood products used in its rigid paperboard packages are certified sustainable and originate from responsibly managed forests, where biodiversity is conserved and local communities are supported.
 
 Sonoco has secured the Rainforest Alliance's SmartWood Chain-of-Custody certification at 14 Sonoco paper mills --11 in the United States and three in Canada. SmartWood certification affirms that the mills are using only responsibly harvested wood products from well-managed forests. Chain-of-Custody relates to the path taken by products from the forest or, in the case of recycled materials, from the reclamation site to the consumer. For packaging companies like Sonoco, Chain-of-Custody relates to the fibers purchased and used in the paperboard manufacturing process, categorized by pre- and post-consumer sources, and certifies their use in the end product.
 
 SmartWood Chain-of-Custody certification is the first global timber certification program of its kind, and involves a number of independent organizations.
 
 The certification applies to a range of Sonoco-made packaging, including rigid paperboard cans used for many well-known products, including coffee, stacked snack crisps, refrigerated dough, frozen juices, powdered drink mixes, baby formula, nuts, shortening and powdered cleansers.