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Enviva, the world's largest industrial wood pellet producer, operates ten plants in the Southeast US, with a capacity to produce around 6.2 million metric tons of pellets annually.
Enviva primarily exports its pellets to power plants and heat generators in the UK, Europe, and Japan, with expanding applications in industries like steel, cement, and aviation fuels. To meet the growing demand for alternative energy and potential growth in Southeast Asian pellet markets, Enviva pursues long-term contracts with third-party suppliers in the region.
Earthworm supports Enviva as a strategic guide and accountability partner on responsible sourcing principles. Earthworm works with Enviva on strategic analysis, supplier engagement, and stakeholder facilitation to co-create solutions to strategic and operational challenges. For instance, Earthworm and Enviva have collaborated on developing a High Conservation Value (HCV) approach in the US Southeast to ensure ecological and social values are appropriately managed in Enviva's sourcing area.
Due diligence for third-party suppliers is integral to Enviva's Responsible Sourcing Policy (RSP) implementation, particularly in higher-risk regions like Southeast Asia. Enviva and Earthworm assess suppliers against the Responsible Sourcing Policy (RSP) criteria and conduct assessments and field visits. Enviva and Earthworm push and support suppliers to continuously improve through capacity-building initiatives like Earthworm-delivered pieces of training.
Enviva facilitated a series of workshops with Preferred by Nature, Earthworm Foundation, and the Sustainable Biomass program to share best practices for responsible sourcing in Vietnam.
Earthworm Foundation works with Enviva to review and strengthen implementation of its HCV approach.
Enviva engaged with eight suppliers through field visits and due diligence assessments in Vietnam. Earthworm developed a follow-up two-day training for select suppliers focused on workers’ rights and the Vietnamese labor code, legal timber sourcing and traceability requirements, and supplier monitoring and verification.
Enviva publishes its first annual Responsible Sourcing Policy Impact Report sharing progress against its Responsible Sourcing Policy goals and criteria from 2019.
In partnership with Earthworm Foundation, Enviva updates its Responsible Sourcing Policy, strengthening its commitment to sustaining rare forests and HCVs.
Enviva updated the company’s bottomland hardwood sourcing and broader HCV practices, based on feedback from the Bottomland Hardwood Taskforce meeting.
Biomass describes any organic material used as a fuel. Wood pellets are one of the primary forms of biomass and have historically been used for residential or commercial heating, but are increasingly used to replace coal for electricity generation, particularly in Europe. Wood pellets are produced all over the world, but the United States tops the list with 22% of global production.
Earthworm is working with Enviva to implement Enviva's Responsible Sourcing Policy within the company's sourcing basin in the US Southeast and with third-party suppliers globally.This involves working with Enviva to co-create and introduce new concepts, systems, and best practices for implementing sustainability within Enviva's operations. Earthworm develops training, facilitates internal problem-solving processes, and supports supplier engagement, among other activities with Enviva. Enviva is taking steps to ensure that HCVs are addressed on individual tracts it sources from. It collaborates with the conservation community and other stakeholders to tackle landscape-scale challenges in key sourcing regions.
Resources:
Enviva's Responsible Sourcing Policy
High Conservation Value bottomland forests
