Illegal and unsustainable logging contributes to deforestation and degradation across the world’s most important forest regions, and causes a fifth of global greenhouse gases.

As a leading media company, Sky has a unique opportunity to raise awareness and inspire action with our customers and in the wider business community, as well as through our own operations.

Recently, Sky signed up to WWF’s Forests Campaign, sending a strong signal to the wider business community to recognise the urgent need to address illegal and unsustainable logging.

Sky joins others including M&S, Kingfisher, Penguin Random House and Carillion in pledging to buy all wood and paper from sustainable sources by 2020 and supporting WWF’s call for the government to guarantee a sustainable long-term supply of timber.

At the same time, Sky continues to help raise awareness and inspire action with our customers through Sky Rainforest Rescue, its partnership with WWF to help save a billion trees in the Amazon rainforest and through dedicated TV programming, such as Flintoff’s Road to Nowhere on Sky 1.

Sky also seeks to address the issue of deforestation through our own operations and was recently recognized as “Most Improved” in its sector in the Carbon Disclosure Project’s 2014 Global Forests Report for taking action to address the deforestation risks in our supply chain. Sky’s Wood and Paper Purchasing Policy requires all paper and wood we source to be either recycled or come from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) sources.

As the issues of deforestation and climate change become ever more urgent, Sky continues to be committed to ensuring all the paper or wood we procure comes from sustainable sources, and to reach out beyond our operations to inspire others to take action.  

Find out more about what Sky is doing to minimise it's environmental impact at sky.com/biggerpicture or follow us on twitter @skybiggerpic.