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What's In Your Eagle Ridge Paper?
CONSUMER ALERT: A U.S. consumer awareness alert from the Paper Planet for everyone who buys paper.
Buyer beware, Eagle Ridge Paper is a new marketing and distribution strategy by notorious forest and paper company Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) to sell to the U.S. market.
You see, in the past decade, APP has been a disaster for international investors, been caught carrying out illegal logging in China, been blamed for a large portion of the forest fires that put Indonesia under the curse of a debilitating haze, been wiping out habitat for elephants and tigers and orangutans to the verge of extinction, violated agreements with large, mainstream environmental organizations including, FSC, WWF, and Rainforest Alliance, and lost contracts with big US corporate customers including Walmart, Office Depot, Staples, UniSource, Woolworths, FedEx Office and more to come soon. My sincere apologies for the run-on sentence, but there's a long, bad track record to cite, so blame Asia Pulp and Paper for my poor grammar too! APP has been doing lots of damage control, even trying to co-opt their Wikipedia entry, and taking out full page ads, but it seems the money could be better spent.
The Wall Street Journal recently quoted Mark Buckley of Staples in the following manner:
"We decided engagement was not possible anymore," Mr. Buckley said. "We haven't seen any indication that APP has been making any positive strides" to protect the environment. Remaining a customer of APP was "at great peril to our brand," he added.Further questions arise around compliance with the new amendments to the Lacey Act, which regulates importation into the U.S. of illegal plant derived products (such as paper from trees). It will increase transparency and focus law enforcement efforts by requiring importers to declare the species, country of origin, and other related information. Can you buy this uncertified paper, from a region rampant with illegal logging, and be sure you are in compliance with the new law? For large corporate purchasers it is something you must look into or else face penalties which can be large if you are not able to demonstrate your due diligence. Learn about this Act and get advice from Environmental Investigation Agency.
Please look into some of this information, and consult with your trusted conservation contacts. See if the practices of this company are aligned with your own values and corporate responsibility plan. Can you really afford the risk of doing business on this problematic paper? If companies like Wal-Mart and Staples chose not too associate their brand with this paper, should you?
Most of us will never visit a tropical Indonesian rainforest. But everyone can spare 47 minutes with some popcorn for a beautifully shot film called GREEN, a new documentary film available free online at: http://greenfilm.free.fr/. Its beauty will move you. Its tracking of the impacts of the supply chain from the Indonesian rainforest to the marketplace will change the way you see the world.
Thanks for taking a closer look, doing so could save you a lot.
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14 comments:
This company is making a BIG push on printers. They call me every other day trying to get an appointment. I have told them I have no intention of buying paper from Asia and they still call.
Eagle Ridge Paper sells good quality paper at competitive prices. I found out that their mills have changed many of their practices and have even worked very hard and spent big bucks on improving water treatment, and enforcing PEFC certified regulations. The writer of this article should update his sources. If FSC would give them a chance they would see that their current practices are quite different. Isn't that what they wanted? I suppose it’s always easy to point the finger at the big guys. Anyway they are a good company that is environmentally conscious and provide great quality paper.
Would Anonymous #2 please provide evidence to back these claims? They are nice words but in fact are not true. Unless some specific evidence is provided, these are empty words.
APP/Eagle Ridge Papers were given a chance by FSC and several other organizations and major purchaser corporations (Staples, Target, Unisource, Woolworths, etc) who all came to the same disappointing conclusion when the good faith did not extend to them as well.
Heard today that APP is creating their own certification body to certify their own paper since they can't get FSC, SFI or PEFC to do it.
That will be the next thing we need to expose, stay tuned.....
By the way, unisource did not drop APP because of their environmental paractices. They dropped them because they could not agree on pricing terms. This author needs to get the facts straight. The other thing is that the WWF is attacking APP in Indonesia, because it is the biggest there. There are many tribal people and gangs who either cut down the timber to sell on the black market or they burn the forest for agriculture. The mills there are all PEFC certified. So are the ones in China.
Who ever wrote about APP making their own certifying body is really off base. They are PEFC certified.
FSC is started by environmentalist who have no back ground in science but instead have ideals.
Check out this website. It is by one of the founders of green peace and the only one to have his facts based in research and education.
http://www.greenspirit.com
I found this posting on APP after reading your blog Papyrus,
http://appmnr.app.co.id/env_app-mr_tst/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=119&Itemid=46&lang=
It seems your oppinon is not as accurate as you portray it to be. They are certified by PEFC that tells me that they are concerned about sustainability as much as the next paper company that has a certification.
I have been approached by APP to sell for them and am aware that there is some sort of federal case out there that might stop Eagle Ridge from doing business in this country. Can anyone fill me in on any details regarding this???
It is an anti-dumping case. Because the domestic producers cannot produce paper cheaper, they are saying that the Chinese and Indonesian gov'ts are subsidizing those countries producers so they can sell paper at a cheaper rate to harm the US printers. Instead they should be be looking at why they can't produce their paper cheaper, even with their own subsidy in the form of a black liguer tax.
Many of the Asia Mills have much newer equipment and can produce paper a higher efficiency. The US paper manufacturers are using much more anitquated machinery. Also, we have the unions that increase labor cost but decrease efficiency.
This is just protectionism that will help the domestic producers but will decrease competition and increase prices of paper ulitmately making the consumer pay more for paper in an economy that is already hurting. Also as printing becomes more expensive their will be less of it causing, paper merchants to lay people off and printers to shut down and lay additional workers off as well, ultimately leading to more unemployment and higher cost for paper and printed goods.
Well after reading all that this Papyrus and some of the anonymous have to say i can't help by just siting back and let them say things that they have no idea about it
#1 the only reason that FSC has removed their certification after 3 to 4 Mills were certified was due to pressure from North American Mills so they wouldn't lose their profit as usual they like to robe their clients blind
#2 FSC doens't even want to answer their clients on this because they have no good reason for it
#3 they have a good product for a beter price not because it's cheaper to manufacture it's simple because they don't believe on robbing people blind
Now for those idiots that say that they have Spyware on their e-mail you must believe and must being waiting for the alliens to come and get you
and for the guy that claims that they don't pay
Instead of you just claiming that you did do your work and stayed home and watch TV
If indeed you had done your work you would find out that they do pay everyone and do it on time
get off your ass and do some work
I feel sorry by being a North American and having all these lazz ass just complaing on anything that comes to these countries but if you ask them to work for a cheaper rate they would be the first ones to look for a Union to get some kind of package
PaperOne Is the Better sheet out of Asia anyhow With ColorLok Technology 96 bright & full support sizes in the 98 Bright.
Under the Lacey Act there is punishment by fine. Wouldnt want to be a purchaser of the papers nor the Rep trying to peddle the goods.Since to the best of my acknowledge AP&P Papers, Eagle Ridge Paper,Sky Paper.And all the other trading names used papers dont comply,Hey who remembers VestVin Trading from the old Days?
The penalties for knowingly violating the law or filing a false declaration can be severe. The fines for trading (buying or selling) illegal plants or animals can be up to $500,000 for a corporation and $250,000 for an individual along with a prison sentence of up to five years. The fine for knowingly filing a false import declaration is a fine of up to $10,000 and a possible prison sentence of up to five years. In both instances all goods will have to be forfeited.
The fine for “unknowingly” trading in illegal plants or animals without exercising “due care” is a fine up to $200,000 for corporation, $100,000 for individual, or twice maximum gain/loss from transaction. There is also a possible prison term for up to one year and forfeiture of goods. The fine for “unknowingly” filing a false import declaration without exercising “due care” is $250 and possible forfeiture of goods.
The fine for “unknowingly” trading in illegal plants or animals with exercising “due care” is forfeiture of goods. The fine for “unknowingly” filing a false import declaration with exercising “due care” is $250 and possible forfeiture of goods.
My friend just told me about this and I love your podcast! My sister and I watch ANTM religiously and you point out all the stuff that we notice like Manis' deaf accent and her confused face!
Just have the people to whom it is more convenient work with your hands and do not strain your particular head. They do not believe for work all that is done without hands
I've seen this with my own eyes, trucks by the dozens and more barges at the river unloading mostly plantation sourcd wood but also a fair amount of what is called 'Mixed Hardwood.' This is rainforest! APP is changing slowly only because their Mixed HW is running out and plantation wood is more abundant. This is in Sumatra. I cannot speak for the concessions in Kalimantan but have heard similar stories. In summary, anyone saying this is protectionism or applauding APP has got it all wrong and must have a dog in this fight. I laugh when one comment said APP has fair prices since they don't believe in robbing people? Huh? Do a little reading to see how they have defaulted on numerous loans, etc. They sell cheap since fiber supply is very cheap, environmental restrictions are non-existent (low cost!) and safety programs do not exist in Indonesia. It's shocking to see.
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