Uncategorized - Environmental Paper Network

From Paper-First to Digital-First: Securities & Exchange Commission Takes a Major Step Forward

At a Glance The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed a new approach to delivering required investor disclosures electronically. The proposal would allow electronic delivery by default while preserving investors’ ability to request paper documents, free of charge. An analysis published by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) estimated that more […]

Historic Opportunity to Reduce Unnecessary Paper: U.S. DOL Advances Electronic Delivery Reform

At a Glance The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed modernizing how employer-sponsored group health plans deliver required disclosures under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). The proposal would allow group health plans to make electronic delivery the default, while preserving every participant’s right to request paper documents. Under current ERISA requirements, […]

Fibre Excellence: bioenergy subsidies have pushed the largest French pulp company to bankruptcy

Cellulose factory in St Gaudens (France). © Jean Paul Alandry, Wikipedia Commons Licence. The largest remaining pulp company in France, Fibre Excellence, has filed for bankruptcy and its fate will be known soon. Wood market distortions created by bioenergy subsidies have destroyed the company’s inefficient bioelectricity business, and the French State has been asked […]

The Hidden Human Rights Costs of Large-Scale Biomass Energy

As the world looks for alternatives to fossil fuels, large-scale biomass energy – burning wood for power and heat – has emerged as a popular solution. But behind its “green” reputation, the rapid expansion of the biomass industry is causing a host of serious human rights concerns that are often overlooked. The supply chain for […]

Bioenergy is a Roadmap to Forest Destruction: BAN advises UN in new briefing

As world leaders wrapped up COP30 in Belém last year, a new climate roadmap was unveiled: one to transition away from fossil fuels, and another to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation by 2030. These goals are meant to work hand in hand. But there’s a growing problem: the rise of forest bioenergy threatens […]

From “Deforestation-Free” to “Free to Deforest”

How voluntary commitments are used — and abused It is now official: after more than a decade of presenting itself as a deforestation-free company, the pulp and paper giant Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) has effectively abandoned its own sustainability policy. APRIL’s Sustainable Forest Management Policy (SFMP 2.0) emerged in response to years of […]

Guyana: Where Nature Thrives and People Shine

Greetings! Recently I had the opportunity to visit Guyana, a country proud that their lands are 87% forested, including a section of the Amazon. My visit was funded by a cultural and educational grant from Partners of the Americas, an NGO that facilitates exchanges throughout South America, Latin America, and North America. During my exchange to […]

The Human Rights impacts of technologies linked to large-scale biomass energy

EPN’s Biomass Action Network has sent a letter to the UN outlining the negative impacts of technologies linked to large-scale biomass energy, including: Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), biomass co-firing, biomass-based e-fuels, industrial charcoal for “green” steel and biochar for carbon dioxide removal (CDR). It was signed by 51 organisations from around the […]

Silenced Lands

Escalating Violence in Rural Conflicts in Brazil In 2025, there have been fewer conflicts, if you count them. However, violence is rising, including land disputes. In short, this is the conclusion of the report released last week by Brazil’s Pastoral Land Commission. The report paints a troubling picture of rural life in 2025. While […]