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  Paper & cardboard companies; paper mills 

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NEW (recent additions to this section; top item is most recent addition)
Director arrested for Brazilian disaster - Brazilian authorities Monday arrested an administrative director of the paper and pulp company [Felix Santana of the Cataguases Paper and Pulp Co.] blamed for a recent chemical spill, considered by some to be the worst environmental catastrophe in the country's history. (Carmen Gentile, UPI, 7 Apr. 2003)

Alleged culprits of Brazil toxic spill on the run - The owners of a pulp and paper factory that caused one of Brazil's worst environmental disasters are on the run, the judge who ordered their arrest said last week. (Reuters, 7 Apr. 2003)

Brazil fights spread of toxic spill from factory - Brazil battled yesterday to prevent the spread of toxins from reservoirs at a pulp and paper factory in southeastern Minas Gerais state and environmental groups said it was the country's worst industrial accident. (Reuters, 4 Apr. 2003)

Charter for voluntary pollution control [India] - The Ministry of Environment and Forests and industrial sector are all set to enter into a partnership on voluntary pollution control by releasing a charter on Corporate Responsibility for Environmental Protection in New Delhi on March 13...The 17 major polluting industries identified for preparatory approach towards pollution control are: cement, aluminium, thermal power plants, oil refineries, pesticides, iron and steel, pulp and paper, copper and zinc, distilleries, sugar, petrochemicals, dye and dye intermediates, caustic soda, pharmaceuticals, tanneries and fertilizer industry. (The Hindu, 10 Mar. 2003)

Websites:

American Forest & Paper Association (industry association)

Company Policies for EEO [Equal Employment Opportunities] in Pulp, paper and paper products manufacturing (International Labour Organization)

Global Agreements - global agreements with multinational companies and sectors [agreements covering labour rights, environment & other issues; companies include: Statoil, Freudenberg Group, Endesa, Norske Skog] (ICEM - International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions)

Other materials:

2003:

Director arrested for Brazilian disaster - Brazilian authorities Monday arrested an administrative director of the paper and pulp company [Felix Santana of the Cataguases Paper and Pulp Co.] blamed for a recent chemical spill, considered by some to be the worst environmental catastrophe in the country's history. (Carmen Gentile, UPI, 7 Apr. 2003)

Alleged culprits of Brazil toxic spill on the run - The owners of a pulp and paper factory that caused one of Brazil's worst environmental disasters are on the run, the judge who ordered their arrest said last week. (Reuters, 7 Apr. 2003)

Brazil fights spread of toxic spill from factory - Brazil battled yesterday to prevent the spread of toxins from reservoirs at a pulp and paper factory in southeastern Minas Gerais state and environmental groups said it was the country's worst industrial accident. (Reuters, 4 Apr. 2003)

Charter for voluntary pollution control [India] - The Ministry of Environment and Forests and industrial sector are all set to enter into a partnership on voluntary pollution control by releasing a charter on Corporate Responsibility for Environmental Protection in New Delhi on March 13...The 17 major polluting industries identified for preparatory approach towards pollution control are: cement, aluminium, thermal power plants, oil refineries, pesticides, iron and steel, pulp and paper, copper and zinc, distilleries, sugar, petrochemicals, dye and dye intermediates, caustic soda, pharmaceuticals, tanneries and fertilizer industry. (The Hindu, 10 Mar. 2003)

UK Paper Companies Supporting Indonesian Rainforest Destruction - Investigations by Friends of the Earth have revealed that UK paper merchants are still buying paper from Indonesian companies responsible for rainforest destruction, illegal logging and human rights abuses [says paper merchant David John is buying paper from Asia Pulp & Paper; Ovenden Papers of Epping, Rosefox of Preston, Frederick Johnson of Enfield and the South Wales Paper Company are buying from Indonesian paper manufacturer APRIL]...James McNaughton, one of the UK's biggest paper merchant groups, recently announced its decision to stop buying Indonesian paper until it can be independently proven that it comes from a non-destructive source. Friends of the Earth is calling on all paper merchants to do the same. (Friends of the Earth, 10 Feb. 2003)

Manistee firm studies effluent: Paper mill gets year to review options for polluted wastewater [USA] - Packaging Corp. of America officials say they'll attempt to address community concerns over wastewater discharge into Lake Michigan with improvements to the wood pulp manufacturing process. (Mike Tyree, Associated Press, 2 Feb. 2003)

14 Organizations to Cut GHGs 4% by 2006 - Fourteen organizations, including several large corporations, have entered into a legally binding agreement to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 4 percent within the next four years. The 14 entities announced last week that they are forming the Chicago Climate Exchange...The 14 entities include American Electric Power; Baxter International Inc.; the city of Chicago; DuPont; Equity Office Properties Trust; Ford Motor Company; International Paper; Manitoba Hydro; MeadWestvaco Corporation; Motorola, Inc.; STMicroelectronics; Stora Enso North America; Temple-Inland Inc.; and Waste Management, Inc. (GreenBiz.com, 23 Jan. 2003)

press release: Indonesia: Paper Industry Threatens Human Rights - Indonesian police and company security forces are responsible for persistent human rights abuses against indigenous communities involved in the massive pulp and paper industry in Sumatra, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. (Human Rights Watch, 7 Jan. 2003)

2002:

International effort results in new tool to calculate greenhouse gas emissions of pulp and paper mills - The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) and the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA), in association with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) today announced the development of a methodology for calculating greenhouse gas emissions from pulp and paper mills. (World Business Council for Sustainable Development, 2 Dec. 2002)

Timber Certification Tainted, Forest Group Alleges - The international body created to certify responsible forestry management has for years been knowingly "misleading" the public according to a new report released today by the Rainforest Foundation. The report finds serious flaws in the certification system used by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which is responsible for auditing timber companies worldwide and for certifying that wood and paper is produced in an environmentally and socially acceptable way. (Environment News Service, 20 Nov. 2002)

PACE International Union Seeks Injunction to Allow Union's Investigation of Fatality at Graphic Packaging Facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan [USA] (PACE International Union, 18 Nov. 2002)

Replacement Worker's Inexperience May Have Led to Death [USA] - A worker at a [Graphic Packaging] paper mill in Kalamazoo died on the job this week, and now locked-out union members are wondering if his inexperience was a factor. (WXMI-TV [Grand Rapids, USA], 9 Nov. 2002)

Big business and labour sign deal at the World Summit for Sustainable Development [South Africa] - The union-inspired South African declaration for achieving sustainable environmental conservation targets within realistic economic and production strategies is now set to go international. South African signatories include Sasol (synfuels and chemicals), Iscor (steel production), Columbus Stainless, Eskom (power generation), Telkom (telecommunications) mineral resources companies Assmang Chrome, De Beers, Goldfields, Impala Platinum (Implats) and Ingwe Coal and industrial groups, Barloworld, Dorbyl Engineering and Rotek Engineering, and unions MWU-Solidarity and the National Union of Mine Workers. Among the companies locally who have firmly said they will not sign for the present are Highveld Steel, the country second largest producer, and multinational operators Dow Chemicals and Sappi (pulp and paper). (Lawrence Bedford, EyeforChem, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 28 Aug. 2002)

Forest and Paper Associations of the World Assess Industry Sustainability 10 Years After Rio (ICFPA - International Council of Forest and Paper Associations, 26 Aug. 2002)

Environmental Fiduciary: The Case for Incorporating Environmental Factors into Investment Management Policies - In this report, we show that fiduciaries who manage funds for institutional investors such as pension funds, foundations and charitable trusts should incorporate environmental factors into their portfolio management policies. [includes reference to DuPont, ST Microelectronics, IBM, Baxter Intl, Smithfield Foods, US Liquids, Weyerhauser, Georgia Pacific, ChevronTexaco, Marathon Oil, Deutsche Telekom, Nestle, Southern California Gas, ITT, Textron, Corning, Whole Foods, Hains Celestial] (Susannah Blake Goodman, Jonas Kron & Tim Little, The Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, 21 Aug. 2002)

Campaign case study: Asian Pulp & Paper’s backers take heat for its actions -...Asian Pulp & Paper (APP), Indonesia's largest pulp and paper producer, has rarely faced direct challenges from NGOs. Instead it is the banks that fund the company that are targets for attack...Over 300 international financial bodies are identified by Friends of the Earth as providing and guaranteeing APP's assets. Investment banks such as Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, ABN Amro, Barclays Bank and NatWest were all fundamental in issuing bonds that kept the company afloat...The banks' reactions to these claims is mixed...The most sympathetic of the banks has been ABN Amro, which has subscribed to the investment criteria put forward by NGOs since its deal with APP...Others have been less compliant with NGO wishes. Friends of the Earth UK has set up an email campaign targeting NatWest, HSBC and Barclays. (Sophie Holtham, Reputation Impact, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 20 Aug. 2002)

CHEMICALS: U.N. Urges Research On Endocrine Disrupters - Concerted international research is needed to determine whether endocrine-disrupting chemicals threaten human health, the United Nations said today in a new report. The chemicals have been linked to "gender-bending" in wildlife, notably physical and behavioral gender changes in fish downstream from pulp and paper mills. (UN Wire, 12 Aug. 2002)

Norske Skog Signs Global Labour Agreement: ICEM agreement with paper multinational guarantees worker rights worldwide - Worker rights in its operations worldwide are guaranteed by leading paper multinational Norske Skog under a global agreement signed with trade unions today. (ICEM - International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions, 24 June 2002)

Pulp Fiction – Credit Suisse and the destruction of the Indonesian rainforest -... The Indonesian pulp and paper corporation Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) is responsible for the destruction of large parts of the Indonesian rainforest, one of the world’s richest in the diversity of its species, and for the expulsion of its inhabitants. Credit Suisse plays a special role among the over 300 Indonesian and international banks that finance APP. (Berne Declaration and ACTARES [Shareholders for a Sustainable Development], 31 May 2002)

Indonesian forests vanishing into paper - scientist - Indonesia's tropical rain forest, the world's third largest, is vanishing at an alarming rate as the country's pulp and paper industry has grown ten-fold over the past decade, an international scientist said last week. (Reuters, 13 May 2002)

Sustainable Forestry Takes Root in Canadian Companies -...Domtar launched a new line of paper certified to the highest management standard of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Tembec updated its partnership with WWF-Canada and said that it will have FSC certified telephone book covers ready by August 2002. (GreenBiz.com, 30 Apr. 2002)

Court Upholds Controversial Paper Mill Discharge Limits [USA] (Cat Lazaroff, Environment News Service, 22 Apr. 2002)

Napa firm tops in social venture [USA]: Regale [which turns recycled paper into biodegradable packaging]...has won the National Social Venture Competition. The social venture competition was sponsored by The Goldman Sachs Foundation, Columbia Business School and University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business. (Alec Rosenberg, The Argus [California], 9 Apr. 2002)

CA Pulp Mill to Manufacture Tree-Free Samoa Cane Source [USA]: Samoa Pacific Cellulose, LLC., a California-based pulp mill, has produced the first commercial trial run of bleached pulp from the Arundo Donax plant, a reed that grows wild in southern California. The company plans to market the new pulp as a “tree-free” fiber for papermaking applications such as printing and tissue papers. (GreenBiz.com, 12 Mar. 2002)

EPA [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] Administrator Whitman Honors 47 Citizen, Industry, Government Groups for Innovative Efforts to Clean Air [USA]: For their outstanding and innovative efforts in helping clean the nation's air, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman today honored 47 local and state governments, industries and citizens groups at the second Annual Clean Air Excellence Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. [companies receiving awards include CSX Transportation, Orbital Engine Corporation, Intel Corporation, Georgia-Pacific Corp., Gibson Technologies, Playa Capital Company, Con Edison, Merck] (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 5 Mar. 2002)

UK paper firms destroy best rainforest [Indonesia] - The report reveals that at least nine paper merchants in the UK [David John Papers, Davies Harvey Murrel, GF Smith, SV Sier, Ovenden Papers, Rosefox, The South Wales Paper Company, Fulton Paper, Frederick Johnson] are buying PaperOne products made by APRIL, one of the world's most destructive paper companies and owner of the world's largest pulp mill [refers also to involvement of AMEC construction company and ING Barings bank] (Friends of the Earth, 11 Feb. 2002)

Chinese turn to law to right pollution wrongs:...Nearly 100 peasant families had their livelihoods stripped from them after toxic chemicals dumped in the Shiliang river in 1999 and 2000 by a private paper factory reached the reservoir...They won - albeit on paper so far - compensation of 5.6 million yuan thanks to a non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Centre for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims, which gathered evidence and represented them in court. (Tamora Vidaillet, Reuters, 5 Feb. 2002) 

APP and debt-financed forest destruction [Indonesia]: The highly-indebted pulp and paper group, Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), commissioned an environmental audit in September to allay fears over rainforest destruction in Sumatra. However, the prospect of more clear-felling and conflict over resources with local communities looms, as the financial interests of the Singapore-based group's international creditors are being put before environmental or social considerations. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2002) 

2001:

WTO and the Fate of the World's Forests:...Global forestry corporations, like Boise Cascade, International Paper, Mead, and Weyerhaeuser, all would like expanded WTO rules to ensure unfettered access to forest resources and consumer markets. They use industry groups, like the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA), to lobby Washington and, in essence, help write the US position on trade and shape the WTO agenda on forest issues...The new global corporate regime is designed to accelerate industrial logging for export, to concentrate corporate control over forest resources, and to reduce protections for forest ecosystems and forest peoples. (Victor Menotti, Program Director of the International Forum on Globalization, for CorpWatch, 1 Nov. 2001)

Scandinavian Companies Work toward Sustainable Business Model: Fifteen prominent [Nordic] companies have agreed to join a partnership launched last week that will focus on developing an entirely new business model centering on sustainability. The project, dubbed the Nordic Partnership, was initiated by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature in the four Nordic countries and House of Mandag Morten, a Copenhagen-based news and research provider. Well-known corporate participants include the Danish enzymes and pharmaceuticals group Novo A/S, Volvo Car Corporation, Swedish lumber and paper company AssiDomän, and the Swedish postal service, Posten AB...The objective of the partnership is to develop a business model, based on Nordic values and attitudes, that integrates sustainability into the way businesses are managed, organized and developed. (Mark Thomsen, SocialFunds.com, 3 Oct. 2001)  (Mark Thomsen, SocialFunds.com, 3 Oct. 2001)  

Why Corporate Bodies Are Turning Green:...Executives today are increasing turning to issues of pollution, global warming and poverty in high-powered meetings, such as the World Trade Organisation, the Group of 7 industrialised nations and Unep conferences. This is with the aim of not only improving their overall image but, also, their gross profits...In Kenya, complaints about companies destroying the environment are numerous. Some of the companies targeted for condemnation are Webuye's Pan Paper Mills, Athi River Mining Factory, Kamiti Tanary, Thika Tanary and Kell Chemicals. (Jeff Otieno, The Nation [Nairobi], 20 Sep. 2001)

A Tribal Struggle to Preserve What's Left of a Borneo Forest [Malaysia]: What once was rain forest owned by a local community has been destroyed in the name of development. Rumah Nor, 60 kilometers (about 40 miles) southeast of Bintulu, site of the world's largest natural gas complex, is the scene in a land rights struggle in which Sarawak's indigenous people are fighting government and industrial powers. Lani, 33, was one of four plaintiffs in a legal battle that conservationists say has produced a major victory. His Iban tribal longhouse community of 70 families successfully sued to regain 672 hectares (1,660 acres) of land. The court decided the land had been illegally acquired by Borneo Pulp and Paper and the Sarawak state government, which turned forest into a huge acacia plantation. (Paul Spencer Sochaczewski, International Herald Tribune, 12 Sep. 2001)

Molecules of death: ...Dioxins are among the deadliest chemicals known to humans...Dioxins are released mostly from burning of chlorinated compounds e.g, from garbage, medical waste and toxic chemicals. Dioxins from incinerators contaminate the air, water and food passing these deadly pollutants on to people through milk, meat and other fatty animal products. Bleaching of paper with chlorinated compounds, production of pvc plastics, chlorinated pesticides and secondary smeltering of copper also produce dioxins. Essentially, to produce dioxin we need organic matter, chlorine and a reactive thermal environment...Despite knowing their carcinogenic nature, there is no monitoring of these chemicals in most countries. (Centre for Science and Environment, Down to Earth, 31 Aug. 2001)

DSM, Siemens launch paper waste-to-fuel venture: Dutch chemicals group DSM NV said yesterday it and German technology group Siemens had signed an agreement to cooperate on plants that turn recycled paper waste into fuel. (Reuters, 30 Aug. 2001)

Exco to meet on action over polluted rivers: The state government will decide on the action to be taken over the polluted Sungai Benus and Sungai Semantot here (Bentong, Pahang State) after all reports have been submitted and discussed at the executive councillors meeting on Wednesday. Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob said the Malaysia Newsprint Industries' representatives would also be called to attend the meeting as it was the company's waste which was believed to have caused the pollution. (Nik Naizi Husin, The Star [Malaysia], 26 Aug. 2001)

New York company [Martisco Paper Company], three officers pleaded guilty to water violations [USA]: In their plea, the defendants admitted that over a period of 10 years they engaged in the illegal nighttime disposal of pollutants from the Martisco plant into Nine Mile Creek. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 20 Aug. 2001)

Air and water pollution becoming great threat to citizens of Multan [Pakistan]: Air pollution and water pollution have become a great threat to the existence of the residents of Multan, spreading critical diseases due to continuous flow and discharge of gases from industrial fertiliser plants and liquid waste from municipal and industrial sources. [pollution from tanneries, paper factories, fertiliser units, dyes factories and textile matching units, sugar factories, power generating plants, oil and gas plants] (Hoover's Online, 15 Aug. 2001) 

EU drafts ambitious climate emissions trade plan: A wide range of major European Union industries will be forced to take part in buying and selling the right to emit carbon dioxide (CO2), under a draft EU law seen by Reuters on Friday. (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 25 June 2001) 

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Market Emerges in Chicago: A diverse group of 25 large corporations and nonprofit organizations has agreed to participate in the design phase of a voluntary pilot trading market, the Chicago Climate Exchange. (Environment News Service, 30 May 2001) 

Biggest U.S. Water Polluters Not Punished (Environment News Service, 28 May 2001)

New convention to ban toxic chemicals marks turning point for industry (Greenpeace, 23 May 2001)

EEOC [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] sues two Indiana employers for race harassment (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 22 May 2001)

NGO Report Demonstrates the Export Development Corporation Risks the Environment: Canada’s Export Development Corporation is an accessory to some projects with severe negative environmental and social consequences, says a new report, "Reckless Lending – How Canada’s Export Development Corporation Puts People and the Environment at Risk", volume 2. This report builds on evidence of poor social, environmental and human rights assessment procedures used by the EDC found in volume 1, released in 2000. (Halifax Initiative, 14 May 2001)

Greenpeace blocks Baltic paper polluter's toxic waste streams, paper industry must stop all discharges [Russia] (Greenpeace, 3 May 2001)

Export credit finances destructive, debt-laden projects [Indonesia]: A new NGO report has drawn attention to the role of export credit lending agencies in pulp and paper mills and other projects in Indonesia, which have led to increased deforestation and abuse of people's rights. Export credit lending agencies (ECAs) based in industrialised countries fail to require even minimal environmental standards when backing projects, according to the report published in February by the Indonesian NGO, Bioforum, and the US-based organisation, Environmental Defense. The report is part of an international campaign to push government-backed export credit agencies designed to promote overseas investment to develop social and environmental guidelines...The PT TEL pulp mill in South Sumatra, which started commercial production last year, is already causing serious pollution problems...A US$ 1.5 billion finance package was approved for the mill in 1994 by Canadian, Finnish, German, Japanese and Swedish ECAs. (Down to Earth Newsletter, May 2001)

Kenya: Pollution and deforestation caused by Pan African Paper Mills (Eusebius Mukhwana, World Rainforest Movement Bulletin, Apr. 2001)

Labor Organizer in China Jailed for Fighting for Workers' Rights (Agence France Press, 16 Mar. 2001)

Pulp & paper heading for trouble: The pulp industry in Indonesia is financially, socially and ecologically unsustainable, but the Indonesian government, local authorities and investors alike are failing to take responsibility...Foreign investors have supported the growth of this industry, despite its reliance on the destruction of natural forests and illegal logging for raw materials. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2001)

Indorayon's Last Gasp? [Indonesia] - It looks as though the fate of PT Indorayon Inti Utama's controversial paper pulp and rayon fibre plant in North Sumatra has been sealed – less by the Wahid government than by thousands of local protestors...Why was Indorayon singled out among the plethora of cases in Indonesia where companies flout environmental regulations and violate local communities' rights? What message does Indorayon's closure send out to investors in other socially and environmentally damaging investments in Indonesia? (Frances Carr, Down to Earth, Nov. 2000, updated Jan. 2001)

2000:

Campaign Wants Paper Companies to ‘Come Clean’: A new shareholder campaign for the 2001 proxy season will try to get pulp and paper companies to be more forthcoming about the potential environmental liabilities they face. Bruce Herbert of Newground Investments in Seattle, Wash., is spearheading the campaign, which is expected to target up to a dozen U.S. forest products companies. (Doug Cogan, Investor Responsibility Resource Center [IRRC], Nov. 2000)

Chile: Wine production threatened by pulp mill project (World Rainforest Movement Bulletin, Nov. 2000)

Protests at PT TEL pulp plant [Indonesia]: Community anger is being directed at the newly completed plant in South Sumatra - The US$1 billion development is financed largely by Japanese, European and North American companies and banks. Equipment and technical services have been provided by Scandinavian, German and Canadian companies backed by Export Credit Agreements. This is yet another example of how the interests of foreign investors and export revenues are being put before the health and sustainable livelihoods of local communities in the name of 'economic development'. Tension between local communities and the management of the Tanjung Enim Lestari (PT TEL) paper pulp plant erupted into violence in mid-December...The estimated 30,000 people living in neighbouring communities have no idea about the potential environmental impacts of the pulp plant. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2000)

Council on Economic Priorities Names the Industry Leaders for the Year 2000 [Campaign for Cleaner Corporations] (Council on Economic Priorities, 2000)

1998:

Canada: Victory of indigenous peoples in court (World Rainforest Movement Bulletin, May 1998)