Wednesday, 01 May 2002
New FSC-Certified Domtar Paper "Raises the Bar" For Environmentally Preferable Paper
At the Forest Leadership Forum in Atlanta last week, FSC held a joint press conference with World Wildlife Fund, and Domtar Industries, the third largest producer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America, announcing the production of two grades of FSC-certified paper.
Domtar is the first major North American paper manufacturer to commit to producing FSC-certified paper. Their Cornwall, Ontario paper plant will source pulp from its 105,00-acre certified forest in the Adirondacks in upstate New York to produce Plainfield Opaque, a multi-purpose FSC-certified paper for letterhead, copy paper, reports, and direct mail, and Cornwall Coated FSC-certified paper which can be used for catalogue covers, book covers, menus, pocket folders, posters, and calendars.
The FSC supports the use of recycled material in paper, and having FSC certified virgin content will complement efforts to increase recycled content. FSC has an important opportunity to extend its market presence through the inclusion of FSC-certified virgin-fiber as a component of the higher post-consumer-recycled content materials being advocated.
“This really raises the bar on environmentally-preferable paper. It sets a new standard for what is considered environmentally friendly paper. Not only will paper users ask what the recycled content is, but also the origin of the virgin fiber. Some 47% of fiber leaving North America’s forests is used for paper and packaging. Paper is an extremely important market for the FSC, and one in which we intend to become a player."
Hank Cauley, FSC-U.S. Executive Director