21 May 2007 - Vienna,
Austria – WWF today launches a new tool
to help paper producers score the environmental
quality of their products.
Suitable for all paper grades — from high-quality
business paper to packaging paper — the
WWF Paper Scorecard is a simple all-in-one
tool that covers the main environmental
impacts of paper production, including forest
management and efficient use of fibres,
CO2 emissions from use of fossil fuels that
contribute to climate change, and pollution
from chlorinated compounds and waste.
The scorecard, unveiled at the international
paper industry event Prima 2007, enables
responsible paper producers to show how
they can minimize negative environmental
impacts of the paper products they sell,
while at the same time helping paper buyers
to select the most environmentally-friendly
papers. For paper producers and users willing
to improve, the scorecard can be used to
further measure environmental performance
over time.
“The new scorecard is a self-evaluation
tool for the industry and also a test of
their transparency," says Margareta
Renstrom of WWF.
"Although the ultimate goal is for
producers to score well across all parameters,
it is not only about coming out on top.
It is also about producers being transparent
and informing buyers how their paper products
are impacting the environment.”
The rating of a given product can be easily
communicated to current and potential buyers.
To further encourage transparency in the
industry and to reward producers who score
their paper products, WWF will create a
platform on its global website to present
the results, but only after these have undergone
an independent third-party audit. By doing
this, WWF will also be providing a global
platform for responsible paper buyers and
producers to network and "meet".
"We believe that the WWF Paper Scorecard
captures important environmental parameters
in a balanced way, even though it does not
cover all environmental aspects of pulp
and paper processing," says Björn
Lyngfelt, Vice President of Communications
at SCA Forest Products, after using the
tool. "The scorecard can become a useful
benchmark for environmental impacts of paper
grades.”
"The WWF Paper Scorecard is user-friendly
and does not take a lot of time to fill
out," adds Per Kjærgaard, Energy
and Environmental Manager of the paper manufacturer
Dalum Papir A/S, after testing one of their
papers with the scorecard. “We believe it
provides a good overview for paper buyers
on the environmental performance of a paper
product.”
The scorecard is the first of several tools
WWF is producing in collaboration with a
“think tank” of major paper buyers, aimed
at creating globally-relevant guidance on
paper sourcing. While the scorecard is geared
towards paper producers, WWF will later
this year publish a practical purchasing
guide, helping paper buyers to source responsibly
produced paper products. The guide will
use the WWF Paper Scorecard to help buyers
assess the environmental impact of their
paper use.
In the meantime, WWF recommends paper buyers
ask their suppliers to score their paper
products using the scorecard and share the
results.
END NOTES:
• The need for buyers to identify responsible
paper fibre sources and for globally relevant
guidance on the impacts of pulp and paper
processing emerged from a "think tank"
in which the major paper buyers Canon, IKEA,
Unilever, McDonalds and Lafarge provided
advice to WWF. WWF, with years of experience
on responsible purchasing strategies of
paper and wood products through its Global
Forest & Trade Network (GFTN), has developed
the Paper Scorecard as a response to this
need.
Margareta Renstrom, Forest Certification
and Trade Manager
WWF International
