Greenpeace takes Kimberly-Clark to task in International Herald Tribune
Toronto, December 21, 2006 - Greenpeace brought European public attention to paper giant Kimberly-Clark’s clearcutting of Canada’s Boreal forest through an ad in today’s International Herald Tribune. The ad shows a Kleenex tissue box and instructions on how to continue destroying ancient forests using the company’s products. The ad is the latest step in Greenpeace’s campaign to force Kimberly-Clark to stop purchasing pulp for its disposable products, including Kleenex, from destructive logging operations in Canada’s Boreal forest.
“Kimberly-Clark has been unwilling to listen to common sense and good business practice, so we are taking our message to the global public,” said Richard Brooks, forests campaign coordinator with Greenpeace Canada. “Canada’s Boreal forest is too ecologically important, especially in fighting global warming, to destroy it to make toilet paper and facial tissue for markets in Europe or North America.”
Kimberly-Clark uses more than 3.1 million tonnes of pulp from forests each year with nearly a quarter coming from Canadian forests, including clearcut Ontario and Alberta Boreal forests. The company refuses to switch to a greater recycled content for its products, despite evidence that North American consumers would pay more for paper products that come from sustainable sources.1
Greenpeace has been working to convince businesses and universities to stop purchasing Kimberly-Clark products, and signing them up for the “Forest Friendly Business Initiative,” a growing listing of more than 700 businesses who have refused to use Kimberly-Clark products. Last week of Texas’ Rice University, joined American University in ending its purchases of Kimberly-Clark products.
“European consumer markets are particularly sensitive to environmental issues such as this one,” added Brooks. ”Since Kimberly-Clark has decided not to stop its destruction of Canada’s Boreal forest, we have no choice but to educate these consumers and urge them to stop buying Kimberly-Clark products.”
Last month, Greenpeace volunteers in Turin Italy blockaded the sales headquarters of Kimberly-Clark by locking themselves to toilet bowls and dropping a giant banner from the building’s roof. 19% of Kimberly-Clark’s sales are to the European marketplace.
A copy of the ad is available at : http://www.greenpeace.ca/IHTadvert
For more information contact:
Andrew Male, Greenpeace communications. 416-880-2757
Richard Brooks, Greenpeace forest campaign coordinator. 416-573-7209 (cell)
To learn more about the campaign, visit www.greenpeace.ca or www.kleercut.net
1. A Greenpeace-commissioned poll by Leger Marketing revealed that 7 in 10 Canadians are willing to pay more for tissue products made from recycled paper and that 81% of Canadians are opposed to making tissue products from clearcut ancient forests.
