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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ARE EARTH DAY STORIES WORTH THE PAPER THEY'RE PRINTED ON? Amid runaway consumption and threats to forests, that depends on the paper. MEDIA ALERT AND INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES April 15 - 22, 2005 WHAT? Growing paper production and ravenous US paper consumption patterns pose environmental threats, from deforestation and global warming to dioxin pollution. But Domtar Inc., one of the largest paper producers in North America, is doing something significant about it: This week, the 128th annual International Paper Week, and shortly before the 35th annual Earth Day, it launches a new line of forest-friendly papers called Domtar EarthChoiceŽ, certified for sustainability by the Rainforest Alliance's SmartWood program. SmartWood experts assessed the forests that provided the pulp for EarthChoice to Forest Stewardship Council standards, ensuring that sustainable harvesting and replanting took place, while stakeholders' and workers' rights were respected. Domtar has also obtained FSC Chain of Custody certification so purchasers can be certain that every paper labeled as FSC certified actually originated in a well managed FSC certified forest. WHO? The following experts are available for interviews:
WHY? The paperless office turned out to be mythical; e-mail itself has increased office paper consumption 40%. Global wood products consumption has grown 64% since 1961, and is projected to double again by 2050. Paper accounts for most of this demand: 40% currently, headed to 60% in the next 50 years. Rising demand threatens forests worldwide, from the vast northern boreal forests of Canada to Indonesia, where forests could be entirely depleted by 2007 according to Friends of the Earth. Of 300 million tons of paper produced annually, U.S. consumers use some 730 pounds per capita each year, seven times the world average and double the average for the developed world. With over 70% of paper derived from ecologically valuable, biodiverse forests, the stakes of putting the North American paper sector on a sustainable footing are high indeed. Domtar owns and operates 10 paper mills - 8 of which are FSC Chain of Custody certified and directly manages 17.6 million of forestland, all of which it is currently working to submit for FSC assessment and eventual certification. Domtar EarthChoiceŽ is an important step towards that goal, and toward ensuring wise use of our forest resources by delivering an environmentally preferable product to the marketplace. Source: Rainforest Alliance www.rainforest-alliance.org
Contacts: Steve Kent, 845-758-0097, skent@kentcom.com Bina Venkataraman, 212-677-1900, bvenkataraman@ra.org
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