Boycott Reflex copy paper
By Trevor Coon
Amcor Ltd (Australian Paper) is the largest domestic user of woodchips in Australia. Its signature brands, Reflex and Copyright, consist of virgin eucalypt fibres. The overwhelming majority of this timber is obtained from native forests in the Central Highlands and Strzelecki Ranges in Victoria, and from the forests in northern Tasmania, bordering the Tarkine wilderness.
The launch of the Boycott Woodchipping Campaign, supported by 26 environment and community groups, reflects the move by forest campaigners away from lobbying politicians, to directly confronting the companies that make huge profits from woodchipping.
It recognises that governments won't oppose the woodchip companies, even though the overwhelming majority of Australians oppose woodchipping of high conservation value areas.
Amcor is the only fine paper manufacturer in Australia, but does not produce a 100% post-consumer recycled photocopy paper. Amcor's Renew 100 brand, promoted as 100% recycled, contains, at most, 10% post-consumer material; the rest is mill and printers' off-cuts and cotton waste.
Amcor is Australia's largest owner of plantations, but these plantations are not being fully utilised in a sustainable way. Instead, Amcor consumes over 1 million cubic metres of hardwood pulp, mostly obtained from publicly owned native forests.
The Victorian government's Forests (Wood Pulp Agreement) Act 1996 gives Amcor access to the Central Highlands' native forests until the year 2030. The Central Highlands, the source of most of Amcor's eucalypt woodchips, are a major water catchment for Melbourne and surrounding communities.
The highlands are also particularly important biologically, containing remnants of old growth and rainforests, and a range of endangered species such as the spot-tailed quoll, powerful and sooty owls, spotted tree frog, Leadbeater's possum and rare flora species. The Leadbeater's possum, Victoria's fauna emblem, is now facing extinction, with almost half of its known habitat lying within the Amcor concession zone.
National, state and regional environment and community groups are launching a campaign to persuade consumers not to buy Amcor products, particularly their signature brands Reflex and Copyright, and to convince investors not to buy, trade, sell or invest in Amcor until it stops woodchipping native forests and manufactures a genuine recycled (100% post-consumer) photocopy paper.
For information on recycled copy papers and their distributors, contact the Boycott Woodchipping Campaign, P0 Box 2461, Fitzroy 3065, telephone (03) 9419 8700.
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