Hey buddy: can you spare a square?

Our tushies need to toughen up!

While soft, plushy, 16-ply TP is a favourite among North American well-to-do's, the fact is our addiction to plush pile is killing the planet one square at a time. And it's time to put a stop to it.

In a report released today by the WWF, tissue and toilet paper manufacturers were given a failing grade regarding environmental policy and sustainable practices. The main point of contention was that major paper product manufacturers were not doing enough to: a)prove their timber comes from sustainable sources, b)prevent illegal logging, c)deal with land rights conflicts.

The report specifically called upon consumers to boycott the "wasteful trend" toward luxury toilet paper (and other hygiene products). Instead, the WWF urged consumers to seek out products with higher recycled content. (The report also mentioned that "extra-white" paper products should also be avoided as the extensive bleaching process was harmful to the environment).

While the report did not mention specific manufacturers by name (except when assigning an environmental score), other sources state one paper-hygiene company to avoid is Kimberly-Clark. Considered the largest tissue-products company in the world, Kimberly-Clark amasses sales in 150 countries around the world (3/4 of the world's official nations buy TP from this company). Unfortunately Kimberly-Clark failed the WWF test with an environmental score below 50 percent.

The reason for the continued pressure on tissue-product practices is that, according to the World Resources Institute, almost 80 percent of the world's original forests have been degraded or completely destroyed. Much of the loss of these ancient forests is due to human industrial uses such as logging for wood and paper products; clearing for agricultural land; and oil, gas, and hydroelectric development. (NOTE: Canada's Boreal forest represents 25 percent of the world's remaining ancient forests.)

The importance of these forests is not lost on scientists and agronominists. The world's ancient forests maintain environmental systems that are essential for life on Earth. They influence weather by controlling rainfall and evaporation of water from soil. They help stabilize the world's climate by storing large amounts of carbon that would otherwise contribute to climate change. These forests also are home to around two-thirds of the world's land-based species of plants and animals. They are also home to millions of forest-based communities and people who depend on them for their survival — economically and spiritually.

As a result, consumers concerned with saving our forests -- sparing a tree one square at a time -- can avoid products by larger paper-product manufacturers. For example, Kimberly-Clark brands include: Kleenex Facial Tissues, Scott Toilet Paper and Paper Towels, Cottonelle Toilet Paper, and Viva Paper Towels.

For the more pro-active people among us go to your university, high school, governmental building, or large business and demand to know where they obtain their paper products. In North America, only about 1/5 of the pulp that Kimberly-Clark uses for its disposable tissue products comes from recycled sources, and most of that goes into the products that go to large institutions, not consumers.

In 2004, Greenpeace and the Natural Resources Defense Council set their sights on Kimberly-Clark's practice of sacrificing virgin forests at the Altar of Blowing and Wiping, particularly as the practice applies to Canada's ancient Boreal forests. The goal of their "Kleercut" campaign is to get consumers involved in pressuring Kimberly-Clark to stop this unnecessary, wasteful practice.

For a list of paper products to buy and avoid go to:
http://www.nrdc.org/land/forests/gtissue.asp
http://www.greenpeace.ca/tissue/download/guide_en.pdf
#search='best%20recycled%20paper%20products%20in%20canada'

To read the WWF report go to:
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/index.cfm?uNewsID=82120

To read more about the Greenpeace Kleercut campaign go to:
http://www.kleercut.net/en/

To send an email to Kimberly-Clark protesting their unsustainable practices go to:
http://kleercut.net/en/sendtokc?PHPSESSID=97125610a81364d1ae6b9add7b2b2cc4

To read more about the Boreal Forests go to:
http://www.forestethics.org/article.php?list=type&type=18