The impacts of climate change, from wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, and heat waves, are becoming ever more apparent. Yet, some American companies continue to be complicit in the destruction of one of the most important and promising natural climate solutions we have, the boreal forest. The boreal forest, which circles the Northern hemisphere, is a ring of pines, firs, and spruce. carbon-rich ecosystem on Earth. Canada’s boreal forest covers more land than any other country. 1 billion acresMaking it the largest intact forestWe must continue to live on this planet.
The Canadian boreal forest is home to an amazing ecosystem It’s a refugeFor such species as caribous, cougars, and grizzly bes, whose habitats are further south. Billions of birds. Nearly halfAll avian species in North America are born in the boreal, and then fly southward to our backyards and parks each year. These ecosystems have been in harmony with Indigenous Peoples for centuries. for millenniaStewardship of the land and relying on it for sustenance.
Photo credit: Ethan Gosnell. Flickr CC By-SA 2.0
However, the Canadian boreal is being reduced at a rate that exceeds One million acres per yearEvery minute, 1.5 football fields of forest are lost. Many of the trees are logged, then pulped and made into tissue paper, toilet paper, and towels that are sold in America. It is a terrible way to manage trees that have been growing for centuries, only to be felled in a matter of hours and then made into products that can be used for just seconds. The boreal is logged when the rich soils and peatlands which have been storing carbon for centuries are disturbed. On average, the boreal’s degradation results in a loss of around 26 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxideThe amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each and every year is approximately equivalent to the emissions from 5.5 million passenger cars per year. Despite claims to contrary, There are no limit to the number of saplings you can plant.The damage to the climate caused by the clear-cutting of the boreal can be offset by planting in the graveyards.
The solution is simple: Reduce the amount that is being logged in the boreal forests. Paper production is not dependent on trees. Companies can reduce their dependence on trees and reduce waste by using recycled materials to create paper products. Alternative materials for making paper products such as hemp, hemp, straw, wheat straw, bamboo and certified sustainable bamboo are another way to reduce forest pressure. Many companies offer paper products made from 100% recycled materials or bamboo. They have also received high sustainability scores on the annual Sustainability Report. NRDC Issue with Tissue Scocard.
These alternatives are not always possible. The majorityThe at-home tissue market is dominated largely by brands that heavily rely upon virgin forest fibers. These are fibers that are made from freshly harvested trees. Trees belong in the forest, and not in our toilets. This is why we asked Amazon, Costco and Procter & Gamble (which produces Charmin), and Georgia-Pacific (the manufacturer of Angel Soft) to ease the pressure on all forests and the boreal forest by making tissue and paper products using less virgin wood pulp.
Logging operation in the boreal forests. Photo credit: River Jordan and NRDC
We specifically asked tissue product companies to increase the percentage forest-free fibers within their tissue products by 50% or more by 2025. We also asked companies to ensure that their wood pulp suppliers only source Indigenous territory if they are given the opportunity. Free, informed, prior consentA stipulation for Indigenous and forest-dependent communities that ensures that decisions about what happens on their land are made by those most likely to be directly affected.
Scott and Kleenex, both made by Kimberly-Clark are leading the charge on this issue in at-home tissue markets. These brands have made commitments that surpass all others, including a pledge of reducing their natural forest footprint by half by 2025. This means that they are using more recycled and alternative fibers in their tissue products. This is an incremental step towards protecting our forests, even though it isn’t as ambitious as it could be.
It is time for the top tissue and toilet paper retailers in our countries to show a commitment to their customers and communities. Amazon, Costco and Procter & Gamble must all agree to protect forests in order to save our environment, animals, and people around the globe.
