Greenpeace ship blocks freighter exporting Boreal Forest pulp to Europe

The 170-metre long ship is being loaded with pulp manufactured by SFK Pulp. The pulp is destined for processing at paper giant Stora Enso's paper mills in Germany and France. Stora Enso manufactures paper for many of Europe's major publishing houses.

"This blockade is a peaceful protest against destructive logging of the Boreal Forest and those companies who purchase unsustainable forest products," said Melissa Filion, a Greenpeace Canada forest campaigner onboard the Arctic Sunrise. "Greenpeace is determined to expose the problem of Boreal Forest destruction and drive international customers to take responsibility. Time and time again we've seen that when customers demand change, suppliers change their ways."

Greenpeace wants Stora Enso and other large corporate customers of logging and pulp companies to help protect the Boreal Forest. These customers should end their financial support of destructive logging operations and demand "greener" products from suppliers.

Last month, an investigative report by Greenpeace named Stora Enso as one of several high profile, international customers buying Boreal Forest products from destructive logging and pulp companies. Abitibi-Consolidated, Bowater, Kruger and SFK Pulp are identified as "the first link in a chain of destruction that leads from forest to mill to product manufacturer to retailer to consumer."

"Greenpeace is asking the logging companies to become Forest Stewardship Council certified and to end logging in the last remaining intact forest areas and caribou habitat," said Filion.

According to figures in the report, Quebec exported forest products worth $684 million to Europe and $10 billion to the U.S. in 2005. Ontario exported $8 billion to the U.S. and $92 million to Europe.

Less than nine per cent of the forests in Ontario and five per cent in Quebec are protected from industrial development. Canada's Boreal Forest represents a quarter of the world's remaining intact ancient forests and stores 47.5 billion tonnes of carbon in its soils and trees. An area three times the size of France has already been degraded and fragmented by development in the Boreal Forest region (175 million hectares).

Note to photo editors: High-resolution photos of the action will be available online at www.greenpeace.ca/gallery. Digital video is available upon request.

For more information, please contact:
Melissa Filion, Greenpeace forest campaigner,
514-581-8216 or 418-550-2482 (on ship)
 
Jocelyn Desjardins, Greenpeace communications officer,
514-212-5749 (on shore)

If you are unable to reach these numbers and your call is urgent, you may call +87 43 2445 3810.