Greenpeace, 22 Aug 06 - Greenpeace today announced that more than 650 businesses in North America and from around the world are refusing to use tissue products made with pulp from ancient forests by the Kimberly-Clark Corporation. The businesses, which were featured in an ad in the New York Times today, are calling on the company to use more recycled fiber and pulp from sustainable logging operations in its products including Kleenex brand facial tissue. The company has been implicated in the destruction of North America’s largest ancient forest, the Boreal, which is home to endangered species and essential in combatting global warming pollution.
Greenpeace today announced that more than 650 businesses in
North America and from around the world are refusing to use tissue
products made with pulp from ancient forests by the Kimberly-Clark
Corporation. The businesses, which were featured in an ad in the
New York Times today, are calling on the company to use more
recycled fiber and pulp from sustainable logging operations in its
products including Kleenex brand facial tissue. The company has
been implicated in the destruction of North America's largest
ancient forest, the Boreal, which is home to endangered species and
essential in combatting global warming pollution.
"These businesses have taken a stand for the environment by
refusing to financially support the destruction of ancient
forests," said Christy Ferguson, a forest campaigner with
Greenpeace. "Kimberly-Clark is losing current and potential
customers because of their practice of wiping away ancient
forests."
Increasingly, consumers believe that they have a responsibility
to use their purchasing power to effect positive environmental
change. In a recent Leger Marketing consumer survey1, 86% of
Canadians and 84% of Americans say that they would switch to tissue
products made with recycled paper and even pay more if this meant
that ancient forests were not harmed. Further, 71% of Canadian
consumers and 66% of U.S. consumers say they are less likely to
purchase from companies who cut down trees from ancient forests to
make their tissue products. The Forest Friendly businesses reflect
this growing consumer concern.
"In our business we use a lot of paper towels, napkins and other
tissue products and we feel it is important that these products
don't cause the destruction of ancient forests like the Boreal,"
said Kirsten Rosenberg co-owner of Sticky Fingers Bakery, featured
in the ad as a Forest Friendly Business. "That is why we are not
using any products made by Kimberly-Clark. We won't support the
destruction of ancient forests."
Kimberly-Clark, the world's largest manufacturer of tissue
products, used over 3.1 million metric tonnes (3.4 million tons) of
pulp from forests in 2005, an increase of over 23% from 2003. Much
of this pulp comes from clearcut ancient forests including the
great northern Boreal forest, the largest intact forest left in
North America. Less than 19% of the fiber used for Kimberly-Clark's
North American tissue products comes from recycled sources.
Kimberly-Clark manufactures toilet paper, facial tissue,
napkins, and towels for both the consumer and commercial sectors
under various brand names including Kleenex, Kleenex Professional,
Viva, Surpass, Scott and Cottonelle2.
To view the full list of Forest Friendly Businesses
http://www.forestfriendly500.org/
Note to editors:
1 - Leger Marketing Survey, April 2006. Contact Greenpeace for full survey results.
2 - Scott and Cotonnelle tissue products sold in Canada are manufactured by Scott Paper under license to Kimberly-Clark.