Environment
‘Global vision’ launched to make paper industry more sustainable
More than 100 environmental and social organisations have unveiled the Global Paper Vision, which calls for the paper industry to adopt more sustainable practices that fully respect the environment and local communities.
The strategy, by the collective Environmental Paper Network, identifies seven key areas for change: reducing consumption, maximising recycled content, strengthening social responsibility, sourcing fibre responsibly, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, ensuring clean production and transparency.
Woro Supartinah of Indonesian green group Jikalahari said, “Jikalahari realised one of the underlying causes of deforestation in Indonesia comes from activities of timber plantations to fulfil the demand of world’s pulp and paper, and that is why we need a Global Paper Vision.
“Pulp and paper industry expansion has been associated with social conflict, forest-fires, lost livelihood of local and forest dependent people, loss of biodiversity, violations of law, corruption and modern slavery. With this Global Paper Vision we hope to join a worldwide movement to make a change in the way forest dependent people have been treated and in the way the forest has been managed.”
Darby Hoover from the US Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC) added, “By following the guidance of the Global Paper Vision, paper users can drive the market toward better paper products, which helps to reduce global warming pollution, save forests, conserve water and energy, and divert usable materials from incinerators and landfills”.
One of the world’s largest paper companies , Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), launched a project in April to restore one million hectares of rainforest in Indonesia. It had previously announced its intention to stop sourcing material from the country, which has been massively affected by deforestation.
Photo: RPHK Kalimantan via flickr
Further reading:
NGOs must focus on global paper industry now APP has halted deforestation work
Indonesian paper firm stops deforestation after decade-long protest
Inspirational reforestation project nears significant milestone