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  WWF 11 Oct 06
Tissue giants get mixed scores for forest-friendly practices

PlanetArk 12 Oct 06
Tissue Manufacturers Get Poor Environmental Marks

GENEVA - Major tissue and toilet paper manufacturers received failing environmental grades from the conservation group WWF on Wednesday for not doing enough to prove their timber comes from sustainable sources.

While the paper giants are increasingly aware of the need to address unsustainable forest exploitation, illegal logging and land rights conflicts, the WWF said they had not demonstrated how they are avoiding such abuse.

The Swiss-headquartered group, known variously as the World Wide Fund for Nature and the World Wildlife Fund, gave Kimberly-Clark a 40 percent grade, while Procter & Gamble scored 34 percent and Georgia-Pacific got 27 percent.

Sweden's SCA, Europe's biggest maker of corrugated packaging and hygiene products, including the toilet roll brand Danke, scored highest in the annual WWF environmental ratings with a 69 percent score.

"SCA ... is the only surveyed company that is able to ensure that wood fibres used in its products don't come from poorly managed forests," WWF said, also noting the Swedish company's high environmental and social standards in forest management.

Finnish tissue paper products maker Metsa Tissue, which scored 53 percent, was applauded in the report for increasing recycled fibre levels in its consumer products.

Decrying what it called a wasteful trend toward luxury toilet paper, WWF urged consumers to seek out products with higher recycled content.

Extra-white paper products should also be avoided because of their extensive bleaching, it added.

"Trees from natural forests and plantations from around the world are unnecessarily wasted and land straight in our toilets and bins," it said.

WWF 11 Oct 06
Tissue giants get mixed scores for forest-friendly practices

Gland, Switzerland – While some of Europe’s leading tissue manufacturers have made improvements to their environmental performances, many gaps remain.

As part of its annual environmental performance assessment, five “giant” tissue manufacturers that make up 75 per cent of the European market — Georgia-Pacific, Kimberly-Clark, Metsa Tissue, Procter & Gamble and SCA Tissue — were scored by WWF across a range of criteria, including their levels of recycled content, wood sourcing practices, pollution control and transparency.

This year, two of the five companies achieved a score of over 50 per cent, compared with none in 2005. Metsa Tissue received a 53 per cent score, while SCA Tissue achieved 69 per cent, the only company to get a “green mark”.

SCA Tissue, the producer of such brands as Danke, Edet, Zewa, Cosy and Velvet, is the only surveyed company that is able to ensure that wood fibres used in its products don’t come from poorly-managed forests.

This manufacturer also promotes the highest environmental and social standards in forest management, reaching 89 per cent of the achievable scores on sourcing. Metsa Tissue is the only company to increase recycled fibre levels in its consumer products.

The WWF assessment shows that Metsa Tissue, Georgia-Pacific, Kimberly-Clark and Proctor & Gamble have become more aware of the need to address controversial wood sourcing.

However, the companies still fail to show how they effectively exclude the use of timber which is linked to unsustainable forest exploitation, illegal logging and land rights conflict.

“We welcome the improvements made, but we urge these companies to seriously work on the persistent weaknesses identified in the assessment,” said Helma Brandlmaier from WWF’s Global Forests Programme.

In 2005, WWF highlighted low levels of recycled fibres being used in toilet paper, paper towels and napkins offered in retail markets. This trend has worsened in 2006, according to the global conservation organization.

“As a result, trees from natural forests and plantations from around the world are unnecessarily wasted and land straight in our toilets and bins,” Brandlmaier added.

“Consumers should compare the different tissue products and buy those with the best environmental records.”

The European tissue business is worth around €8.5 billion annually, and accounts for 26 per cent of global tissue consumption, with each European using 13kg — the equivalent of approximately 22 billion rolls of toilet paper.

WWF is critical of retailers who demand virgin fibre for luxury, bright white and fluffy tissue products.

“At a time when the world’s natural forests are under severe pressure because of the skyrocketing demand for all kinds of timber products, retailers should be offering the most environmentally-friendly tissue products to their customers,” said Brandlmaier.

“Customers should urge retailers to stock recycled tissues. The tissue ‘giants’ should be producing forest-friendly products in the first place.”

WWF will rescore the companies again in 2007.
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