Victory for the Boreal Forest

Photo: © ColochoHealth and hygiene products manufacturer Kimberly-Clark has released a new environmental fibre policy that governs how it will help conserve forests and support sustainable forestry and use more recycled fibre.

Campaigners like Greenpeace have been demanding that K-C stop destroying ancient forests like the Boreal Forest. The new policy places it among the industry leaders in sustainability. K-C has set a goal of obtaining 100 per cent of the wood fibre used in its products, including the flagship brand Kleenex, from environmentally responsible sources.

By 2011, K-C will ensure that 40 per cent of its North American fiber is either recycled or certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a 71 per cent increase from 2007 levels, representing over 600,000 tonnes of fibre. Also by 2011, the company said it will eliminate any fiber from the North American Boreal Forest that is not FSC-certified.

Because of K-C’s place in the paper products market, the company’s new policy will send a strong signal to its competitors, Procter & Gamble, SCA, and Georgia Pacific, that creating a policy that protects ancient forests is a key element of sustainable business.

The Canadian Boreal Forest is North America’s largest ancient forest and provides habitat to threatened species such as woodland caribou, bald and golden eagles, wolverine and more than one billion birds, many of them migratory. Sadly, more than 60 per cent of the Boreal has already been allocated to forestry companies for development and less than 10 per cent of the Boreal Forest is formally protected. In provinces such as Ontario and Quebec, much of the commercial forest has already been fragmented and degraded by clearcuts and logging roads.

But cutting forests doesn't just wipe out biodiversity, it wipes out an essential carbon storehouse. The Boreal Forest is the world’s largest storehouse of terrestrial carbon. The Canadian Boreal stores an estimated 186 billion tonnes of carbon, or more than 27 years worth of global greenhouse gas emissions. Protecting and managing the forest responsibly is essential for fighting global warming. Intact forests, particularly ones extending over thousands of square kilometres, better mitigate the impacts of climate change.