Knowing the Score of Your Paper

This week, in Vienna, Austria, WWF launched a new tool to help paper producers score the environmental quality of their products.

Suitable for all paper grades — from high-quality business paper to packaging paper — the WWF Paper Scorecard is a simple all-in-one tool that covers the main environmental impacts of paper production, including forest management and efficient use of fibres, CO₂ emissions from use of fossil fuels that contribute to climate change, and pollution from chlorinated compounds and waste.

According to WWF, the scorecard, unveiled at the international paper industry event Prima 2007, enables responsible paper producers to show how they can minimize negative environmental impacts of the paper products they sell, while at the same time helping paper buyers to select the most environmentally-friendly papers. For paper producers and users willing to improve, the scorecard can be used to further measure environmental performance over time.

“The new scorecard is a self-evaluation tool for the industry and also a test of their transparency," says Margareta Renstrom of WWF.

What are your thoughts on this new tool? Share your comments.