Indonesian NGOs Respond to Asia Pulp and Paper PR Campaign

Recently, the Paper Planet reported on a letter from North American NGO's to printers and other paper buyers warning about environmental risk associated with Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) and its cleverly named paper distributor, Eagle Ridge Paper. Today, The Jakarta Post is reporting that as Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) took the podium today at the 12th Annual RISI pulp and paper conference to promote their corporate responsibility and paper products, leading Indonesian NGO’s called on buyers and investors of APP to reject the company’s misinformation and stop purchasing or financing the company until it met conditions articulated in an open letter calling for reforms in Indonesia’s pulp and paper sector. Download a copy of the letter here.

Long a controversial company, APP has recently stepped up its public relations efforts with a series of infomercials touting its environmental and social accomplishments and misleading certification claims. These moves may be an effort to pave the way for the company’s anticipated issuing of bonds and a possible initial public offering (IPO) of its Chinese division, and comes at the same time as new investments in direct sales capacity in Europe and North American paper markets. In the early 2000’s, APP defaulted on a debt of more than U.S. $13 billion and became Asia’s biggest bankruptcy. In the aftermath of the bankruptcy, significant legal, social and environmental risks associated with the company’s pulp production, natural forest clearance and pulpwood sourcing operations emerged.

Despite this, APP continues business as usual, having done little to mitigate the negative impacts of its pulp and paper operations. For example, APP continues to clear large areas of natural forest in Kerumutan’s deep peat and Bukit Tigapuluh in Sumatra despite objections by local communities and NGOs. Destroying these peat forests is impoverishing indigenous communities that have customary ownership of these ecosystems and also causing millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions as the forest is cleared and drained peat soils oxidize. Further forest loss in Bukit Tigapuluh threatens the survival of two indigenous tribes and Sumatran tigers, elephants and orangutans.

“We’re trying to set the record straight for APP’s customers and investors who may have been taken in by APP’s misleading advertisements and glossy brochures,” said Teguh Surya Campaign Director of WALHI, the national environmental forum in Indonesia which has over 450 member NGOs. "Being associated with APP poses major reputational risks to companies that do business with it.”

Deforestation in Indonesia is a major contributor to climate change, as carbon stored in natural rainforests and peatlands is released after clearance and drainage. Roughly eighty percent of Indonesia’s greenhouse gas emissions are due to deforestation and degradation, which has pushed Indonesia into third place (behind the China and the U.S.) on the list of the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters. APP/SMG and their affiliates are considered to be one of the largest contributors to these emissions.

Eyes on the Forest today published recent pictures of large amount of natural forest wood waiting to be unloaded at harbor of the APP’s pulp mill in Riau and also pictures showing large area of good natural forest in Bukit Tigapuluh landscape being cleared in a concession of PT. Artelindo Wiratama, an APP associated company.

Arcadia Publishing First on 100% FSC Paper

The nation’s largest local history publisher has expanded its focus on preservation efforts and is now the country’s first major book publisher to achieve the use of 100 percent Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper across its entire book publishing program.

Arcadia Publishing, creators of the iconic pictorial history books with widely recognized sepia covers, has more than 6,000 titles in print and will publish 700 new titles this year. New releases and reprints now carry the accredited FSC label. Products using the FSC label are independently certified to assure consumers the paper comes from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations.

Arcadia Publishing CEO, Richard Joseph, views the initiative as a natural next step for the company. “Consistent with our commitment to help communities preserve history through local and regional history books, we have extended our efforts to improve the impact we have on our environment,” Joseph said.

With the implementation of 100 percent FSC certified paper; Arcadia Publishing has surpassed the goals set for industry standards as identified in The Book Industry Treatise on Responsible Paper Use by 500 percent, and almost two years ahead of schedule. The treaty, developed in 2006 by a wide range of industry stakeholders and coordinated by the Green Press Initiative (GPI), calls for the publishing FSC-US-0146 industry to aim to raise its use of FSC certified paper to a level of 20 percent by 2012.

GPI Director Tyson Miller commends the company for its early success. “Arcadia Publishing’s FSC achievement is quite an accomplishment and is a model for other publishers to consider and follow when it comes to supporting best practices in forest management,” Miller said.

Eagle Ridge Paper: US and Canadian Conservationists Send a Message to the Marketplace

A group of some of the largest and most respected environmental groups in North America will distribute a letter to the printing industry and other paper buyers today, in a united effort to bring greater environmental scrutiny to the climate and deforestation crisis in Indonesia's carbon-rich peatlands and rainforests. The letter draws attention to the fact that a new paper merchant, craftily named Eagle Ridge Paper, that has recently appeared in North America drumming up business for its discount paper rolls, is actually a thinly disguised division of Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), an ambitious multinational forest and paper company with a long track record to date of environmental devastation.

The letter begins,

"We are writing to you today to provide important information about environmentally responsible paper. A new paper distribution company, named Eagle Ridge Paper, is obtaining pulp and paper products from operations having adverse climate, human rights and biodiversity impacts in Indonesia. Indonesia's rainforests are scientifically documented to have outstanding and rare ecological value. We believe that this paper's true costs are more than our planet can afford."

The letter is signed by NRDC, the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network, Green America, Green Press Initiative, Canopy, Environmental Investigation Agency, Dogwood Alliance and ForestEthics. It goes on to say,

"In October 2009, Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) set up a new marketing & distribution arm - named Eagle Ridge Paper - in North America. This move came after APP lost hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts with large customers such as Unisource, Office Depot, Staples, Corporate Express and others because of its poor environmental and social record and its reported links to illegally obtained wood.

Indonesia's rainforests comprise some of the most biologically diverse forests on the planet and provide habitat for endangered orangutans, Sumatran tigers, Sumatran elephants, and many other endangered species. Indonesia's rainforests are also home to millions of Indigenous people whose cultures and livelihoods are directly dependent on natural forests. They also store and capture billions of tons of CO2, and in so doing help maintain our atmosphere's biochemical equilibrium."

Recently, a string of companies in the fashion industry including, Tiffany's, Gucci, and H&M, have chosen to take their business elsewhere as well in an effort to align their paper purchasing supply chain with their stated corporate responsibility values. The letter goes on to say,

"Unfortunately, Indonesia suffers from among the fastest rates of deforestation in the tropics. According to reports from the Indonesian Pulp and Paper Association, World Wide Fund for Nature and others, APP and its fiber suppliers are the leaders in clearing and converting vast areas of rainforests in Sumatra and Borneo for pulp and paper."

Scientists say the extinction bomb is ticking for some iconic species, including one of our closest relatives. Orangutans, whose name means "man of the forest" - share about 97 per cent of our DNA. Researchers predict that if current conditions continue, they will be extinct in the wild in ten to twenty years.

The Sumatran tiger faces its own race against time, as its habitat shrinks to make way for paper and palm oil production. There are as few as 400 Sumatran tigers left in Indonesia and they are under relentless pressure from poaching and clearing of their habitat. After five years of studying tigers using wildlife-activated still camera traps, these are the first images of a tiger with offspring and were recorded after WWF-Indonesia’s Sumatran tiger research team set up new video camera traps along a wildlife “corridor” known to be used by tigers.

“We are very concerned because the territory of this tiger and its cubs is being rapidly cleared by two global paper companies, palm oil plantations, encroachers and illegal loggers. Will the cubs survive to adulthood in this environment?” said Karmila Parakkasi, the leader of WWF-Indonesia’s tiger team.

For its part, APP has been out there painting itself green, with commercials on CNN International, claiming, "APP Cares." And doing interviews for the North American market in trade publications, skillfully talking in circles, and playing the victim but rarely talking about the direct issues at hand.

The Paper Planet encourages you to look into these issues yourself, to make your own conclusions. When using paper, please reduce unnecessary paper use, and consider your paper purchases carefully. We all use paper. But low carbon, environmentally responsible options are now available, so there's no excuses. The letter sent today suggests to printers that they learn more and find recommendations of responsible paper choices to meet their business needs and offer their customers at http://www.whatsinyourpaper.com.

Under Pressure USDA Forced to Re-examine GE Eucalyptus Permitting in the Southern US

Groups Force USDA to Re-release Draft Environmental Assessment on Genetically Engineered Eucalyptus Trees for Southern U.S. Forests: Original Assessment Lacked Key U.S. Forest Service Hydrological Studies

The U.S. Department of Agriculture re-released their draft environmental assessment [1] regarding a request by ArborGen, a subsidiary of timber giants International Paper and MeadWestvaco, to plant over a quarter of a million genetically engineered eucalyptus trees in so-called "test plots" across seven southern U.S. states. [2]

"If these invasive GE eucalyptus are planted across the South on this large of a scale, it is highly likely that fertile seeds will escape into surrounding forests," said Dr. Neil Carman, a plant scientist with the Sierra Club. "This is a major problem since eucalyptus is already known for its invasiveness. Once they escape into the forests, there is no way to call them back. It would be an ecological nightmare for southern forests."

The environmental assessment was re-released by the USDA after groups concerned about the environmental impacts of transgenic eucalyptus trees pointed out that the assessment was missing key hydrological studies conducted by the U.S. Forest Service that directly refute the conclusions of the USDA's draft environmental assessment which recommend approving ArborGen's request. The USFS studies point out that eucalyptus trees have heavy water requirements and can seriously impact ground and surface water reserves. [3]

The USDA is seeking public comments on their draft environmental assessment through February 18th, 2010. [4]

"In countries that are already suffering the impacts of large-scale eucalyptus plantations--like Brazil, Chile and South Africa--people have organized massive campaigns against them," stated Anne Petermann, Executive Director of Global Justice Ecology Project and North American representative of the Global Forest Coalition. "This is because eucalyptus plantations have devastated forests and communities. In Brazil, the Mata Atlantica forest has been all but wiped out by eucalyptus plantations. In Chile, communities living near eucalyptus plantations have lost their access to fresh water."

Other new information in the assessment reveals that some of the supposedly infertile engineered eucalyptus trees in existing field trials produced fertile seeds. Eucalyptus is a non-native tree and numerous species of eucalyptus are already considered invasive. This new transgenic (or GMO) eucalyptus has been engineered to tolerate colder temperatures giving it the potential for invading forest ecosystems throughout the South.

"I had hoped that the disaster of kudzu would have taught us the consequences of releasing invasive species into the environment," agreed Scot Quaranda, Campaign Director for the Dogwood Alliance. "Instead, ArborGen wants to release invasive GE eucalyptus trees. Unlike kudzu, however, these trees are not only invasive, they are also highly flammable and use huge quantities of fresh water. California is already spending millions to eradicate invasive and flammable eucalyptus trees. We do not want these invasive trees to be mass-planted in the South."

The STOP GE Trees Campaign [5] is working with the Center for Food Safety on plans to stop ArborGen's proposal to release hundreds of thousands of genetically engineered eucalyptus trees across the U.S. South. "This is a very slippery slope," warns George Kimbrell, an attorney for the Center for Food Safety. "Allowing the release of these GE eucalyptus trees will set a legal precedent that could allow the release of genetically engineered poplars or pines--which have wild relatives across the continent. The commercial release of engineered versions of native trees would lead to the contamination of forests with engineered pollen. Once this occurs there is absolutely nothing that can be done to stop the further contamination of more forests. We have to stop the release of GE trees before this contamination occurs."

The public is encouraged to submit comments to the USDA regarding the ArborGen proposal to release 260,000 genetically engineered cold tolerant eucalyptus trees across seven southern states. For details on this, please visit: http://www.globaljusticeecology.org/stopgetrees.php?tabs=0

[1] To download the USDA's December 17, 2009 revised draft environmental assessment, go to: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/aphisdocs/08_014101rm_ea2.pdf

[2] The seven states targeted for ArborGen's GE eucalyptus deployment are South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

[3] The summary findings of the USFS with regard to the impacts of eucalyptus plantations on water resources can be found on page 57 of the new USDA draft environmental assessment. These findings include the fact that the water usage by eucalyptus plantations is at least double the water usage by other forest types, and that afforestation to eucalyptus plantations will reduce stream flow, lower the water table and affect groundwater recharge.

[4] Comments to the USDA can be submitted at: http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment?R=09000064809c344a

[5] Global Justice Ecology Project coordinates the STOP Genetically Engineered Trees Campaign. The Sierra Club and Dogwood Alliance are part of the Steering Committee for the Campaign. For more information on the campaign, go to: http://www.nogetrees.org.

Huge New Protected Areas in Canada's Carbon Rich Boreal Forest

The Paper Planet would like to join the Canadian Boreal Initiative (CBI) and other organizations in congratulating the Governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador on their intent to establish two new protected areas in Canada’s Boreal Forest.

On February 5th the Government of Canada announced it would move ahead with the establishment of the Mealy Mountains National Park, encompassing 10,700 km2 (2.65 million acres), and by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to designate 3,000 km2 (700,000 acres) of the adjacent lower Eagle River watershed for inclusion in a new provincial water park, will create a total protected area of nearly 14,000 km2 (3.3 million acres) in central Labrador.

“This is an outstanding boreal landscape with a rich and diverse ecological and cultural history. These parks represent an exceptional legacy for present and future generations,” said Larry Innes, executive director of Canadian Boreal Initiative. “We are very pleased to recognize the achievement of the governments, the Aboriginal peoples and local organizations who came together to advance a common vision for the protection of this important region.”

Together, the federal Mealy Mountains National Park and the provincial Eagle River waterway park will be one of the largest protected areas in Eastern North America, about equal in size to the protected lands in New York’s Adirondack State Park. It is an area bigger than Yellowstone NP and Yosemite NP in the United States, combined!

For a slideshow of the incredible beauty of this area, CLICK HERE.

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.