A new report from activist group, ForestEthics, alleges that U.S. company, 3M, supplies many of its products from endangered forests around the world. The NGO links 3M’s masking tape and sandpaper to caribou habitat in the boreal forests of Canada, Scotch-Brite sponges to a controversial paper mill in Brazil, and those ubiquitous Post-it Notes to allegedly poor logging practices in the U.S.
The new report begins by criticizing 3M’s single page Paper Sourcing Policy, calling it “vague” and lacking “specific, measurable commitments.”
“Only 3M has the ability to know the sourcing of all of its products, and it is 3M that bears the responsibility to ensure that its sourcing is environmentally and ethically sound,” reads the report. “But from what we have uncovered, it is is clear that 3M’s approach to forests is extremely destructive.”
Although 3M’s Post-It Notes are certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), there is little sustainable about them or the initiative alleges ForestEthics.
Material from ForestEthics campaign against 3M’s forest policy. Image courtesy of ForestEthics.
SFI is “funded, governed, and founded by the logging industry,” reads the report, which adds, “[it] offers no legitimate environmental protection.”
SFI is generally viewed as having less rigorous standards than the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which itself has been criticized by some environmental groups. But a handful of environmental groups, such as Conservation International, support SFI.
ForestEthics linked Post-it Notes in the U.S. to logging in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oregon, Washington, and Montana. Less than 10 percent of the company’s Post-it Notes contain any recycled fiber, according to the NGO.
Post-it Notes sold in Europe come from even more controversial sources. In this case, the Finnish company, Ahlstrom, provides much of the paper, which the report says “sources a significant volume of fiber from Scandinavia” including both old-growth forests and high conservation value forests [see correction below].
ForestEthics further contends that Post-it Notes in Europe may contain illegally logged fiber sourced from a different company.
Material from ForestEthics campaign against 3M’s forest policy. Image courtesy of ForestEthics.
“3M supplier Sodra Cell sources it’s pulp from [Russia and Baltic states] which are known for illegal logging in threatened forests…The scale of illegal logging is dramatic–almost a third of timber logged in the northwest of Russia is considered illegal. The World Bank estimates that 25 percent of Russia’s timber exports originate from illegal logging…3M lacks the mechanisms to verify the source of its paper supply and [has] no way of knowing how many of these trees end up in their products,” reads the report.
The allegation, not proven, is potentially very serious as the EU recently installed legislation that outlaws the importation and sale of products from illegally logged sources.
The report also connects 3M’s sandpaper and masking tape from to logging in Ontario, home to threatened woodland caribou.
Finally, the company’s Scotch-Brite sponges stem from Bahia Speciality Cellulose (BSC), which sources from a massive tree plantation. BSC is owned by the Royal Golden Eagle group (RGE) that also controls APRIL, an Indonesian paper company known for clear-cutting rainforests in Sumatra. Last year, the FSC terminated its relationship with APRIL, a move that effectively bars certification of subsidiaries like BSC.
“Post-it notes with no recycled content, sandpaper that comes from endangered caribou habitat, and sponges that are linked to human rights violations have no place on the shelves of the 21st century,” said Jim Ace of ForestEthics. “3M has put its brand at risk by sourcing paper from controversial sources.”
Mongabay.com reached out to 3M for comment but was told “it is corporate policy that 3M and its subsidiaries not participate in requests for interviews because of the employee time that would be involved.”
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CORRECTION: Ahlstrom has not supplied fiber for 3M Post-It Notes since May 2013, according to correspondence from the company. Instead supply is coming from the Munksjö Corporation. Moreover Ahlstrom writes, “Ahlstrom has a comprehensive Due Diligence System for its forest-based fiber raw materials. The Group is responsible for the global sourcing of all natural fibers and also manages a Chain-of- Custody certification program where 11 plants are currently certified according to FSC® and PEFC™.” For more on their sourcing policy: CEO statement on certification. |
Material from ForestEthics campaign against 3M’s forest policy. Image courtesy of ForestEthics. Click to enlarge.
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