Responsible Virgin Fibre - Environmental Paper Network

World Bank affiliate IFC approves loan for Suzano’s unsustainable project in Cerrado, ignoring warning from 40+ environmental groups

Christmas came early for Suzano, but at the cost of the world’s most biodiverse savannah: the Cerrado biome in Brazil. Last Friday, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), an arm of the World Bank, approved a USD 725 million loan to Suzano to build a new giant pulp mill project in Mato Grosso do Sul, in […]

Paraguay, the next catch of the pulp industry

Landscape in the Gran Chaco, Paraguay, May 2004. Photo by Ilosuna. Creative Commons Attribution 1.0 (Generic). After taking over vast tracts of land in all South America, the pulp & paper industry is now expanding in Paraguay. Paracel, a joint venture between a Paraguayan oil trader and foreign entities, is constructing a pulp mill and […]

After winning new markets with promises, Asia Pulp and Paper picks up its old deforestation habit again

A new report released by the NGO coalition, Eyes on the Forest, has exposed a new case of deforestation by Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) via its controlled timber suppliers PT Arara Abadi and PT Sekato Pratama Makmur (SPM). The report finds that the company cleared natural forest and other natural habitats to develop new […]

Flushing the Climate: Which U.S. Stores are Still Selling the World’s Most Destructive Toilet Paper?

9 years after their highly publicized Forest Conservation Policy was announced, monitoring by Indonesian and international NGOs finds Asia Pulp and Paper is failing to keep its promises, damaging the climate and harming local communities in Indonesia. EPN-North America and partners contacted 27 major U.S. grocery stores and retailers who currently or have recently sold […]

Featured Member: Greenpeace

Greenpeace is one of the most visible environmental organisations in the world. Peter Gerhardt from EPN reached out to Grant Rosoman, Senior Advisor, Forest Solutions at Greenpeace International. Why did you become an environmentalist? I was always interested in forests, growing up in New Zealand, surrounded by nature. The key trigger was witnessing deforestation and desertification and […]

Stolen land and fading forests in Chile

A new report from the Environmental Paper Network reveals another case of “Conflict Plantations,” this time in Chile. Since May 7th the military police have been sent again to garrison Araucania, Southern-central Chile, where the pulp & paper industry is embroiled in a longstanding conflict with the Mapuche indigenous people. This is not a good […]

Korean Paper Company Plunders the Last Rainforests While Continuing to Claim Operations are Eco-Friendly

Year long Investigation Reveals Deforestation Throughout Pulp & Paper Supply Chain Merauke, Papua, Indonesia (15 March, 2022) — A new investigation released today by Environmental Paper Network (EPN), Mighty Earth, Pusaka, Solutions for Our Climate (SFOC), Korean Federation for Environmental Movement (KFEM) and Advocates for Public Interest Law (APIL) details the devastation of pristine forests […]

Domtar Deal, Deforestation and Abuses: Whose Side are Banks On?

Last July, Andrea Paul received a letter containing a drawing of an Indigenous person and a Black person hanging from a tree. The caption said, “This is what I think of Natives and Blacks. You think you rule the world.” Miss Paul is the traditional Chief of the First Nation of Pictou Landing, who just […]

Pulp mill in Sumatra connected to fires and respiratory illness plans to triple production

For Immediate Release Palembang – Today, over 30 civil society organisations sent a letter to investors of Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), part of the Sinar Mas Group, explaining why the expansion of APP’s OKI Pulp and Paper Mill in Sumatra, Indonesia would risk the respiratory health of millions of people in Southeast Asia and […]