by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
The other day I received a press release with regards to an Eco Comics having won an award and the claim was made, in the statements by the CEO of the publisher as to why they work digital, that paper use and the paper industry was responsible for the deforestation of the tropical rainforests.
Now this is a blatant lie that continues to be perpetuated by those that should know better and I am sure do know better. So, what's the agenda?
Well, if we would but know that.
The truth is that tropical hardwood, in fact all hardwoods, are unsuitable for the production of wood pulp from which to make paper and thus it is a little bit on the difficult side for the paper industry to be responsible for the deforestation of the tropical forests.
While it is true that one particular company – Kimberly Clark – is not a very environmentally friendly outfit considering that they are involved in the destruction of Canada's boreal forests in that, unlike the majority of paper companies, do not replant and in fact just fell under a license from the government.
The majority of the paper industry, however, at least in Northern Europe, owns its own forests (though they do buy in from private and state forestry) and replant a minimum of three trees for each single one felled to make paper.
Were it not for the paper industry those forests would not even exist and the land would, more than likely, be used for something else, though not agriculture or forestry in any other sense.
Most of those forests are on very marginal lands that only support the likes of pine or birch and thus making paper from the timber is, basically, the only answer. Without the industry those forests would not exist and/or be managed and be lost as carbon sequesters to the environment.
Don't allow yourselves to be deceived by ignorance or by an agenda where the myths of how bad paper is for the Planet is being peddled.
Rather than being bad paper can be a force for good...
© 2012
