Get The Facts

• Tissue Guide (PDF)
• Facts on Kimberly Clark (PDF)
• Sample Letter to Kleenex (PDF)
• FAQ's - Get the facts by taking a look at the frequently asked questions below

The Facts:

1.How does logging in the Boreal forest affect my school district?
Ancient forests like the Boreal help regulate the Earth’s climate, clean water and provide a haven for wildlife. The Boreal forest is literally being flushed away, but parents and teachers can help change that. Schools and school districts are some of the largest buyers of Kimberly-Clark products like Kleenex and Scott. By making responsible purchasing decisions, school districts can save money, protect our ancient forests and build a better future for everyone.

2. How large is the North American Boreal?
Covering approximately 1.3 billion acres the Boreal is an ancient forest that stretches across the country from Canada’s most western province into Alaska. It is Canada’s largest ecosystem and encompasses almost 53%of the country’s total landmass. The Boreal is more than 12 times the size of California.

3. How much is logged from the Boreal?
Every year over 1.5million acres of Boreal Forest is cleared by logging, 90% of which is removed by clearcutting. Logging in Canada causes almost 5 acres of forest loss every minute. More than half of which goes to the US.

4. How much of the Boreal is already protected?
Less than 10% of the Boreal is protected. In Ontario less than 18% of the Boreal Forest remains intact.

5. What kinds of trees are in the Boreal?
Pine, spruce, aspen, larch, tamarack, fir, alder, and birch can all be found in the Boreal.

6. What animals depend on the Boreal?
Moose, caribou, lynx, bear and wolves depend on the wide Boreal expanses, while eagles, hawks, owls, geese, 30 per cent of North America’s songbirds and 40 per cent of its waterfowl nest in the forests and wetlands. In fact, nearly five billion birds migrate north to breed after wintering in warmer climates. Because of its immense size, the Boreal forest represents one of the best opportunities for conservation of large intact forests.

7. What Kimberly-Clark brands should be avoided?
We recommend avoiding all Kimberly-Clark brands including Kleenex, Cottonelle, Scott, Viva, Huggies, Kimberly-Clark Professional, Kotex and Depend until K-C agrees to stop using ancient forests for disposable products.

8. What do we want from Kimberly-Clark and other paper companies?

• Products made with post-consumer recycled fiber. This diverts waste into products we can use while protecting our forests.
• When virgin fiber absolutely must be used it should be Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified. FSC certification helps to ensure ecosystems are not destroyed or completely clearcut when they are logged. To learn more about FSC please visit [insert link]
• A commitment to protecting our Ancient Forests. Greenpeace and other environmental groups believe that there are certain forests that are too important to be logged. These ‘No Go’ areas are often rare forest types or critical habitat for woodland caribou. We understand that we cannot end all logging but we are committed to saving the most critical and intact ancient forests on Earth for future generations.

9. Is there a Greenpeace seal of approval for products? How will my school know what to buy?

While there is no Greenpeace stamp of approval we do support the Green Seal certification. If your school or school district makes it a policy to only buy Green Seal certified products then you can rest assured only products free of chlorine bleaching and high in recycled content are used. For more information on recommending the Green Seal Certification please contact us or visit http://www.greenseal.org/certification/standards.cfm

Email us if you have more questions: k12schools@wdc.greenpeace.org