Moscow Illegally Raids Enviro Group Opposing Reopening of Lake Baikal Pulp Mill

Suspiciously coinciding with their criticism of the reopening of the pulp mill on Siberia's Lake Baikal, police raided the office of Russian environmental watchdog group Baikal Environmental Wave without a warrant authorizing a search, and detained staff who were in the office on claims they were using pirated software and violating fire safety regulations. (Note: The website link to Baikal Wave may not work, because the Russian government has shut their website down.)

The raid came just as Baikalsk mayor Valery Pintaev and several workers from the Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill spoke at a press conference in Moscow thanking Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for granting permission to reopen the polluting plant. The Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill discharged toxic waste water directly into the decades, but of widespread public outcry finally resulted in the October 2008 decision forcing the plant to shut its doors – until this month.

The organization is well-known for efforts to protect Lake Baikal – the deepest lake in the world and home to 20% of the world’s fresh water. Lake Baikal contains more fresh water than all of America's Great Lakes combined and provides habitat to more than 1,500 species of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world, including Lake Baikal's freshwater seal known locally as the nerpa.

In addition to negotiations with local officials and public outreach campaigns, Baikal Environmental Wave organizes large public rallies to protest threats to the lake.

“It is clear that the stated reason for investigating Baikal Environmental Wave was just an excuse,” Marina Rikhvanova, a 2008 Goldman Environmental Prize winner, said by phone. “The real reason for taking our computers is to paralyze our organization and keep us from protesting the January 18 decision to reopen the Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill.”

Employees of the Baikalsk Municipal Sewage Treatment Plant discovered two weeks ago that effluent from the Baikalsk mill, which has been testing its equipment since last month, is contaminating the town’s aquifers.

The organization is planning a February 13th demonstration to highlight community health concerns about pollution from the mill. Unfortunately for the Russian authorities, thanks to their illegal raid, there will be international attention on the pulp mill, the protest and the safety of the community and Baikal Environmental Wave. Heckuva job, Moscow!

And you can bet The Paper Planet will certainly be covering it.

Read more on the raid in the Moscow Times and from Pacific Environment.

Growth in Eco-papers Offers a Lifeline for the Industry

The number of leading environmental printing and writing grade papers produced in North America has more than doubled from 97 to 228 in the past 18 months according to information released today by Canopy, a Vancouver based non-profit organization that works to improve the environmental performance of paper and wood companies, and a Steering Committee member of Environmental Paper Network. The sharp increase in eco-paper options is the result of large paper buyers demanding more papers with ecological attributes, a growing trend despite recent troubles in the North American paper industry and global economy.

“We’re witnessing a phenomenal shift in the paper industry where sustained and growing green demand is steering paper production towards ecofriendly options, giving a life line to mills and a future for our endangered forests and species ” said Nicole Rycroft, Executive Director of Canopy.

Growth of demand for eco-papers benefits both the economy and the environment, something Canopy had been advocating for the past ten years. By using less virgin tree fiber for paper production, producers are reducing the carbon footprint of their papers and alleviating some of the pressure on carbon rich forests such as North America’s Boreal Forest and the endangered species that call it home such as the woodland caribou.

Visit the database at: http://canopyplanet.org/EPD/index.php

Papers in the database have been designated if they qualify as Ancient Forest Friendly, developed by Canopy. They are also designated according to the criteria of the Paper Steps, a comprehensible, yet multidimensional and rigorous standard for environmental leadership in printing and writing paper product development. The Paper Steps were developed through the collaboration of the diverse expertise on the Environmental Paper Network Steering Committee, and inspired by the innovative work of its member organization Canopy.

What's in your paper?

Biomass Energy Boom: What Price Habitat and Heritage?

Will your forests end up as pellets?

With catastrophic biomass energy carbon accounting errors integrated into the policies of corporations and governments, especially in European countries, there is strong demand and plenty of free money flowing to drive a rapidly growing industry in biomass-to-energy. Concern among conservationists and communities in the target forest conversion and extraction regions and around the world is also growing, because science is increasingly revealing that large scale biomass burning have major impacts on air quality, endangered species habitat, and our climate.

Recently, there seems to be an especially strong buzz and flurry of announcements. investor confidence is bolstered by the current subsidies from the US federal government to biomass burning facilities. See a list of these facilities.

Last week, the company RWE announced a massive wood pellet making facility for export to the European market. The company press release states, “Through this investment, RWE has taken a strategically important step towards safeguarding the supply basis for the constantly growing biomass market in Europe. This is because we will be unable to achieve the targets for reducing CO₂ emissions in Germany and Europe without biomass. But the European wood market will not be able to satisfy the demand in this fast growing sector on its own." There is also word that the company NexGen Biofuels will convert a former Georgia Pacific sawmill in Arkansas to manufacture wood pellets for European export. And the announcements keep coming, and coming and coming....but who is looking at the collective impact? Well, you could buy a full list of projects here if you have the money. In the meantime the communities in Massachusetts threatened by biomass energy development are doing a pretty good job raising key issues in their neck of the woods.

Paper companies are aggressively pursuing conversion of some of their assets and expertise to invest in the market. Mitsubishi Corporation and Weyerhaeuser Company announced that the two companies signed a Strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore the possibilities of collaborating in the biomass-to-energy business.

International Paper and MeadWestVaco are jointly investing in Arborgen, a Genetically Engineered trees project, seeking fast growing species for pulp and biomass-to-energy. They are currently applying to the USDA to be able to plant 260,000 frankentrees in the US South, and there's a public comment period reopened right now until the 18th of February to look at critical science that was not considered yet.

There are so many questions and red flags and issues of moral responsibility pending and that must be addressed. For example, have we really analyzed all the impacts of this massive growth in the demand for our forests. What are the full costs?

The Paper Planet will be following the science, policy, and environmental leadership on biomass-to-energy issues over the course of the year and looks forward to your comments.

Nearly one million hectares of Great Bear Rainforest now FSC certified

On December 10th, forest companies operating in the world's largest intact tract of coastal temperate rainforest took the next step in gaining marketplace recognition for their products. Western Forest Products, Interfor and BC Timber Sales, supported by pulp and paper producers Catalyst Paper and Howe Sound Pulp and Paper (partly owned by Canfor) have gained Forest Stewardship Council Certification (FSC). They are already signatories to the internationally renowned Great Bear Rainforest Agreement in British Columbia, Canada.

Building on the legal protection of a third of the region and critical first steps towards implementing Ecosystem-based Management across the land-base, a portion of operations for these companies now have the stamp of approval from FSC. FSC is the only forest certification system currently endorsed by environmental and indigenous organizations.

Full implementation of the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements is expected by 2014.

An Eco Milestone for the US Book Industry

As we entered December, the U.S. book industry quietly passed a remarkable environmental threshold – approximately 50% (market-share) of publishers now have environmental commitments in place – most with goals and timelines for vastly improving their environmental and climate performance. This is significant due to the fact that as recent as 2001, virtually no publishers had environmental commitments on record within this $40 billion/yr industry.

This milestone was hit with the release of Hachette Book Group’s new environmental policy. Hachette is one of the top five publishers in the U.S. and the new policy commits them to a tenfold increase in recycled fiber by 2012, a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, sourcing 20% of paper certified from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), ending the use of paper that may impact Endangered Forests, and a wide range of other initiatives.

“In these challenging economic times, it is wonderful to see a company as large as Hachette making environmental stewardship a core value and coming out with an industry leading policy. This helps the industry to pass an important threshold and hopefully will motivate those larger and smaller players that are lagging to do more.” said Tyson Miller, director of the Green Press Initiative.

Learn more....

Video: Save the Rainforests, Save the Climate

As leaders gather in Copenhagen to negotiate a climate treaty, here's a simple, true, video message from Rainforest Action Network: (watch for the copy machine and make the connection)

Greenpeace Scrutinizes AbitibiBowater and Ontario Goverment in New Report

Greenpeace has released a new double report revealing that despite receiving advice to not extend the company’s licence, the Ontario government allowed the forest and paper company AbitibiBowater to clearcut thousands of hectares of vital woodland caribou habitat in northwestern Ontario, increasing the threat to the survival of caribou, a provincially listed species at risk.

The report, “Crisis in our Forests: A case study of AbibitiBowater’s irresponsible forestry in the English River Forest,” shows that AbitibiBowater was allowed to clearcut intact and old growth areas fragmenting 80,000 hectares of forest over a 10-year period. The report notes that, since logging began in the English River Forest, Ontario has allowed successive companies to reduce the original intact, old growth areas in the forest unit to about 300,000 hectares from approximately one million hectares.

The “Crisis in Our Forests” report includes a French-language companion report that shows that AbitibiBowater also has serious problems managing the Waswanipi-Broadback forest in northern Quebec.

Reports can be download here:

English River Case Study: http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/recent/crisis-in-our-forests

Waswanipi Broadback Case Study: http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/fr/actualites/rapport-choc-foret-boreale

Office Paper Recovery

In an effort to recover a greater quantity and higher quality of high-grade paper for recycled content Printing and Writing manufacturing, the RePaper Project of the Environmental Paper Network has compiled an office paper recovery guide entitled - "Recovering and Rediscovering a Resource - Recovered Office Paper: Opening the Door to Climate Protection, Green Jobs, and a Sustainable Paper Industry".

This guide seeks to assist office and building managers across North America looking to start or improve a paper recovery program. However, even if you're not an office manager, you may still find it useful, so feel free to peruse, link to, or distribute.

You can access the guide, and other resources, on the RePaper Project's website.

A Win for Indonesia's Forests is "In the Bag."

Release from Rainforest Action Network....

Packaging Supplier to Fashion’s Finest Rejects Rainforest Destruction

PAK 2000 to Separate Itself from Asia Pulp and Paper, Pledges New Procurement Policy

December 2, San Francisco – After a two-month campaign by Rainforest Action Network and pressure from fashion industry leaders, New Hampshire based luxury packaging company PAK 2000 has announced that they will cut all financial ties with their majority shareholder, Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), by the end of 2009. Additionally, RAN and PAK 2000 have agreed to work together on developing and implementing a leadership paper policy in the first quarter of 2010. As a leading supplier of paper bags and packaging products to fashion brands like Versace, Valentino, Prada and J.Crew, PAK 2000’s move gives options to fashion companies seeking to remove rainforest destruction from their supply chains.

“Indonesia is ground zero for deforestation and climate change,” said Lafcadio Cortesi of Rainforest Action Network. “Through its actions PAK 2000 is demonstrating that paper from rainforest destruction is not a bargain for the fashion industry or for our children’s future.”

PAK 2000’s move puts them in line with a growing trend embraced by companies like Tiffany’s & Co., H&M Group, Gucci Group, and Ferragamo, all of whom have announced commitments to end their relationship with controversial suppliers, including APP, and to source recycled paper or paper that has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. As part of its new procurement policy, PAK 2000 has committed to phasing out all controversial and high conservation value forest fiber from its paper products within 180 days. The company has also pledged to develop and implement a “leadership” paper policy that incorporates strong preferences for recycled and Forest Stewardship Council certified papers, transparency and less carbon intensive papers.

“We’re all thinking about our global footprints these days,” said Kate Dillon, a leading fashion model. “PAK 2000’s actions will make it easier for fashion companies to source environmentally responsible paper and provide one tangible step down the path of environmental leadership.”

PAK 2000’s move is a win for the fashion industry, but also for the Indonesian rainforests, the second largest standing rainforests left in the world and home to unique species like the orangutan, Sumatran tiger and the Sun Bear. It’s also a win for the global climate. Worldwide, the degradation and destruction of tropical rainforests is responsible for fifteen percent of all annual greenhouse emissions. The carbon emissions resulting from Indonesia’s rapid deforestation account for around six percent of global emissions: more than the combined emissions from all the cars, planes, trucks, buses and trains in United States and have made Indonesia the world’s third largest greenhouse gas emitter.

Hachette Book Group Shows Climate Leadership

Submitted by Todd Pollak of the Green Press Initiative....

Some good news from the book industry. Yesterday, Hachette Book Group, one of the top 5 publishers and publisher of the popular Twilight series, announced an industry leading environmental policy which includes the following targets:

• 30% Recycled fiber (majority post consumer) by 2012
• 20% FSC certified papers by 2012
• 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (including paper emission and forest carbon loss) by 2020
  

Read the full policy or an article in Publishers Weekly.

Scientists Confirm Burning Biofuels is Not Carbon Neutral

Many in the paper industry have been touting their business as environmentally friendly because they assert that they use a carbon neutral source of energy: residuals from forest harvest and the byproducts of pulp production, particularly black liquor.

However, as many environmental organizations have been quick to point out, burning biomass is far from carbon neutral as it immediately releases carbon from land-based stores to the atmosphere. And of course burning land-based stores of carbon, whether they be locked in fossil fuels below ground or in biomass above ground, is precisely the major cause of climate change.

While environmental organizations have been making this rather commonsense point for some time, an October article in Science has confirmed this glaring accounting error. As reported in the New York Times, "The accounting error even gives the impression that clearing the world’s forests, which absorb and thereby diminish heat-trapping carbon dioxide, is good for the climate, the scientists write." They also state the critical fact quite succinctly, "If an existing stand of forest land is cleared for fuel, its ability to absorb carbon dioxide is lost, and the net balance of the gas in the atmosphere goes up."

And Princeton University, who led the study, had this to say in their report:

"Tim Searchinger, a research scholar in the Princeton Environmental Institute and a fellow with the German Marshall Fund of the United States, is lead author of the study. Michael Oppenheimer, director of the Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy and professor of geosciences and international affairs in the Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, is a co-author.

In the study, "Fixing a Critical Climate Accounting Error," the authors contend that across-the-board exemption of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from bioenergy -- the use of plant materials known as biomass for the production of renewable fuels -- is improper in greenhouse gas regulations if emissions due to land-use changes also are not included. This, they assert, erroneously treats all uses of bioenergy as carbon-neutral, renewable energy regardless of the source of the biomass, and could create strong economic incentives for large-scale land conversion as countries around the world tighten carbon caps."

To read the full article from Princeton University, click here.

Mohawk Quits over Climate Bill, and US House Closing Black Liquor Loopholes in the Health Care Bill

Lots of action today for the paper industry in an emerging storyline of how it will fit into the new, low-carbon economy, and who will lead.

First, news that Mohawk Fine Papers is quitting the US Chamber of Commerce over its radical position against the cap and trade climate bills working through Congress. See article here.

Second, there is news in the story of the "Son of Black Liquor" tax loophole in the 2008 Farm Bill. (Read about it in the blog: Dead Tree Edition) Representative Van Hollen (D-Maryland) has apparently had his recently introduced stand alone legislation (H.R. 3895) inserted into the Manager's Amendment to the health care bill that will hit the floor at the end of this week.

The estimated $24 billion in tax credit savings could be used to offset costs of the health care bill, Van Hollen said.

"In addition to supporting homegrown renewable energy, it is my hope that this legislation will be added to the manager's amendment for the House health care reform package making its way to the floor this week so that the savings generated by these improvements can help pay for health care for all Americans," said Representative Van Hollen in a statement.

Fashion Industry to Protect Indonesia’s Rainforests - New Commitments from Gucci, Tiffany and H&M

Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has been successfully urging the fashion world to more closely examine their paper supply chains and to sever any connection with paper suppliers like Asia Pulp and Paper who are actively destroying Indonesia’s rainforests.

Gucci Group has decided to eliminate all paper made from Indonesian rainforests and plantations and by controversial suppliers like Asia Pulp and Paper. The move is a first step in implementing an industry-leading paper policy and a continuation of the Gucci Group’s interest in stemming climate change, about twenty percent of which stems from forest loss.

Gucci Group’s new policy puts them at the front of a growing list of major companies, including Tiffany & Co., H&M Group, Staples and Unisource who are taking concrete action to clean their supply chains of rainforest paper and severing relationships with companies who continue to destroy rainforests in Indonesia or elsewhere.

“Standing rainforests are not a luxury, they’re a necessity if the world wants to stop climate change,” said Mimma Viglezio, Executive VP Global Communications at the Group. “Our actions are lowering our own carbon footprint, but we hope that they will also raise awareness inside the fashion industry that it’s possible for our industry to make a difference for rainforests and for the climate.”

The Gucci Group’s move commits some of fashion’s most famous brands, including Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and Balenciaga to perhaps the luxury industry’s strongest paper policy. With its new policy, the Gucci Group has pledged to reduce the amount of paper it uses, eliminate fiber from high conservation value forests, and only to purchase recycled products or those certified by the Forest Stewardship Council by December 2010. With this policy, they are ensuring that all paper categories used by the group, from copy paper to shopping bags, do not come from endangered forests like those in Indonesia.

“The Gucci Group’s actions and commitments confirm its place as an industry leader,” said Lafcadio Cortesi, RAN’s Forest Campaign Director. “This move sets a bar for others in fashion and retail and demonstrates the foresight our society needs for our children and grandchildren to have standing rainforests and a stable climate.”

Worldwide, the degradation and destruction of tropical rainforests is responsible for twenty percent of all annual greenhouse emissions. The carbon emissions resulting from Indonesia’s rapid deforestation account for around eight percent of global emissions: more than the combined emissions from all the cars, planes, trucks, buses and trains in United States. This huge carbon footprint from forest destruction has made non-industrialized Indonesia the third-largest global greenhouse gas emitter, behind only the U.S. and China.

New "Carbon Canopy" Brings Groups Together for U.S. Southern Forests

A newly announced group of diverse stakeholders say their work to build credibility within US forest carbon market will create incentives to protect, restore and conserve forests while providing sources of paper and wood products from forests managed to a high environmental standard.

Staples, and one-time foe Dogwood Alliance are teaming up with other conservation groups, wood products companies and landowners to announce a new, comprehensive project that will protect forests, combat climate change and help develop sources of paper and wood products certified to the high standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

The Carbon Canopy is focused on forests in the Southern US, the largest paper and wood-producing region in the world where 90% of the forests are privately owned. Combined with the loss of forests to development, logging practices such as large scale clearcutting and the conversion of natural forests to plantations has created concerns about the long-term health of the region’s forests.As a first step to addressing these concerns, the Carbon Canopy will develop a pioneering project that will be based on rigorous environmental standards to determine how the emerging US forest carbon market can be credibly leveraged to pay private landowners to expand carbon stores in working forests in the South. The ultimate goal is to create financial incentives for landowners to increase forest conservation and restoration efforts, and to certify management practices to the high standards of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Through the pilot project the Carbon Canopy will “test” how southern forest landowners might benefit financially from expanding forest conservation and restoration on the ground in a working forest certified to the high standards of FSC certification.

The pilot project will be focused on increasing the abundance of older, more mature natural forests through select logging and thinning. In addition to expanding carbon sequestration the management practices will ensure the protection of water quality and biodiversity. The initial project will meet the rigorous carbon accounting standards of the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VSC) and the Climate Action Reserve (CAR) and the management practices will meet the high standards of FSC certification. Staples and Interface, have offered to pay the pilot project landowner(s) for increases in carbon stored and sequestered as a result of improved forest management practices on the ground. Pacific Forest Trust will manage the development of the pilot project.

“Never before have we seen this kind of collaboration in the South between forest industry, large US corporations, landowners and environmental groups to find real solutions” stated Danna Smith, Executive Director of the Dogwood Alliance.

“This project is a continuation of the important work that we began with Dogwood Alliance years ago to effect change and responsibly preserve and cultivate the forests of the US,” said Mark Buckley, vice president of environmental affairs of Staples Inc. “We are excited to be a part of a project focused on the longevity of our forests, one that will benefit the stewards of the land, positively impact future generations and support local and regional economies by creating products originating from forests managed to a high environmental standard.”

Carbon Canopy partners include: Staples, Dogwood Alliance, Columbia Forest Products, Pacific Forest Trust, FSC US, Rainforest Alliance, Green Press Initiative, Domtar, The Home Depot, Environmental Defense, Interface, The Forestland Group and The Keystone Center.

Obama Executive Order Mandates Recycled Paper to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions

President Obama has issued an Executive Order directing the federal government to act as hundreds of leading corporations and other governments are and to review and reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions throughout its operational footprint. The action, if implemented effectively, could result in much greater efficiency and cost savings to taxpayers and stimulation on environmental innovation and green jobs in the marketplace.

The statement from the White House says that Executive Order 13423, "sets sustainability goals for Federal agencies and focuses on making improvements in their environmental, energy and economic performance. The Executive Order requires Federal agencies to set a 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target within 90 days; increase energy efficiency; reduce fleet petroleum consumption; conserve water; reduce waste; support sustainable communities; and leverage Federal purchasing power to promote environmentally-responsible products and technologies."

The direction clearly points to a review of paper use efficiency, to lower emissions and financial costs to the taxpayers. Also included explicitly in those "environmentally responsible products and technologies" is post-consumer recycled paper, and meeting agency defined minimum post-consumer recycled content.

Of course, as many readers may know, these minimums should already be the standard, as President Clinton first issued an Executive Order in his term which specifically created recycled paper content minimums for federal purchases. It is commonly held opinion that Clinton's Order is not currently enforced, nor has been for some time, and needs better oversight to achieve its results, and Government Accounting Office reports have suggested as much.

It is critical that the Steering Committee set up by this new Executive Order from the Obama Administration be an effective body, with transparency and authority to make this program successful. Secondly, it will be critical that the EPA consider increasing its minimum recycled content goals for some paper products, in response to a marketplace that has changed a great deal in the last decade.

Boosting recycled content purchasing would send strong signals to the marketplaces, particularly when occurring in conjunction with a corporate wave of responsible paper purchasing policies forecasting an increase in demand for recycled content. These market forces are creating jobs and rewarding green innovation move the U.S. economy into the 21st Century. Investment in a network of smaller, efficient recycled paper mills near urban centers to collect waster paper from these teeming "papersheds" will create green jobs and significantly reduce the worst environmental impacts of overconsumption of paper from natural forests.

Subscribe to the Paper Planet (see sidebar) to stay up to date on how this Executive Order is implemented and enforced.

Download the Executive Order HERE