As industries increasingly adopt sustainability considerations across their value chains, the importance of environmental product declarations (EPD) cannot be overstated. By systematically assessing the environmental impacts of a product from cradle to grave, businesses can gain valuable insight into their supply chain, pinpoint areas for improvement, and make informed strategic decisions that align with both regulatory requirements and customer expectations. As stakeholders increasingly demand accountability and verifiable environmental performance, embracing EPDs becomes a cornerstone of a forward-thinking and resilient sustainability strategy.
Quebec’s premier is raising concerns about the potential impact of the tariff proposed by US president-elect on the province’s forest industry. In a statement posted to social media on Sunday, François Legault said high interest rates and existing duties on softwood lumber were already putting pressure on the sector, which he said accounts for more than 50,000 jobs in Quebec. “It will be important to protect our economy and our businesses in the coming months, and we are already working on our strategy with the relevant ministers within the government,” he wrote in French. “I have great admiration for all the workers in our forestry industry, whether they are in logging, transportation, sawmills or reforestation.” Legault’s comments echo those of BC Premier David Eby. …“Even before Mr. Trump’s announcement, we were working to support a Quebec industry that is already affected by tariffs in the US: the forestry industry,” Legault said.
President-elect Donald Trump plans to implement a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada to target drugs, particularly fentanyl, and illegal immigration… Trump’s announcement of his plans has spurred questions about what tariffs mean for American consumers, as well as the products that may face additional fees. Oil and “billions worth of wood and paper” are imported from Canada to America, USA TODAY reported. …Congress has the authority to make U.S. tariff policy, and the legislative branch usually set tariff rates before the 1930s… However, Congress has “delegated extensive tariff-setting authority to the President” for decades. Through certain statutes, the president can impose or adjust tariffs, such as adjusting tariffs on imports that threaten U.S. national security or raise tariff rates when the U.S. International Trade Commission finds that an import surge has injured an American industry, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Re: Trump’s announcement of 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico. …While the announcement garnered much attention, few traders considered the threat credible, and the industry as a whole took a wait-and-see approach to the news. In Western S-P-F, upward price momentum paused as the US holiday approached. Buyers had an easier time covering immediate needs, and declined to extend inventories, especially in spots where winter weather had settled in. Lumber futures was little changed in early trading. Buyers across the South lacked urgency amid abundant supplies of most items. Downward price pressure was unabated. Many veteran traders noted that the price spread between Southern Pine and Western S-P-F was the widest they had seen in their careers and expressed surprise that species substitution was not more prevalent. In Coast markets, upward price momentum and tight supplies kept prices trending higher in uneventful trading. 
The Lane County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to approve a property tax exemption for Weyerhaeuser’s planned improvements to its Cottage Grove sawmill, a move officials say will help secure high-paying jobs in the region while ensuring the timber company remains competitive. Weyerhauser, a Seattle-based timber company, applied for the exemption to delay paying taxes on a planned $120 million upgrade to the sawmill, which it says currently employs 225 people. Under the agreement, Weyerhaeuser will save $7.2 million in property taxes over five years, but the company must make a 10% “community benefit payment,” which will be shared by the South Lane School District and the Cottage Grove Community Medical Center Foundation. Additionally, state law mandates Weyerhaeuser pay supplemental fees to the school district in the fourth and fifth years of the exemption.
Policymakers are looking out for indications of what President-elect Donald Trump plans to do to ease housing costs next year. …Trump has spoken frequently of his proposed 60% tariff on goods from China, which he has said would create more manufacturing jobs in the US. …But housing economists and other experts say that could be bad news for building more affordable housing. Selma Hepp, chief economist for CoreLogic, a financial services company, said tariffs are one of her main concerns about the effects of a second Trump term. “One of the biggest concerns is not just lumber [costs], but the overall cost of materials, which have been going up,” Hepp said. Kurt Paulsen, professor of urban planning in the department of planning and landscape architecture at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said building costs are already high from tariffs on Canadian lumber.
America’s current approach to international climate policy is worth interrogating in light of President-elect Donald Trump’s victory. President Joe Biden put unprecedented resources behind this multilateral diplomacy approach, beginning with the appointment of former secretary of state John Kerry as the inaugural special presidential envoy for climate… Trump likely will again withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement and possibly from the UN climate change framework governing it. Such a move would prevent the U.S. government from formally participating in the COP process, possibly making it difficult for future administrations to rejoin… The current U.S. approach to international climate action is not well optimized to meet a transformed world defined by industrial policy, intensified great power competition, and shifting views on globalization and supply chains.
Minnesota Forest Industries, an association representing the state’s major forest products companies, has been awarded a Telly Award for a TV commercial it created in partnership with Hubbard Broadcasting. Titled “Trees absorb carbon, forest products store it,” the 30-second ad received a Silver Telly Award in the category of “Public Service & PSA – Local TV.” The Telly Awards honor excellence in video and television across all screens and receive more than 13,000 entries globally. The MFI spot features a scientist exclaiming “Eureka!” as she discovers “a solar-powered machine that removes carbon from the Earth’s atmosphere and transforms it into items humans use every day. A tree!” The award-winning ad can be seen at: 
SEATTLE – The wildfire smoke that blankets much of the American West each summer is likely more harmful than previously understood, especially to older people, scientists found. Research announced this week, and led by scientists at the University of Washington, discovered that prolonged exposure to the ultrafine particles in wildfire smoke heightens the risk of dementia for those 60 and older. …Joan Casey, an environmental epidemiologist at the University of Washington said, not only are older people at risk with the increasing exposure to wildfire smoke, but so too are those who can’t access air quality warnings, afford filtration or avoid outdoor exposure throughout the fire season. Casey partnered with scientists from the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, the University of California in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco. …Dementia isn’t the only risk associated with wildfire smoke. Those with prolonged exposure could also suffer from respiratory or cardiovascular problems.