Adam Burling
Boral is the second largest hardwood eucalypt woodchip exporter in the world, exporting 859,000 tonnes per annum from Tasmania and licensed to export up to 453,600 tonnes from NSW. In NSW, Boral owns 60% of timber concessions, 75% in northern NSW.
For years, forest campaigns have focused on convincing governments to use their legislative powers to protect Australia's remaining forests. This has been largely unsuccessful, with the voice of transnationals often speaking louder than individuals. Overseas, many forest groups were encountering the same problem. New approaches had to be sought.
A consumer boycott campaign seemed a logical alternative: Hit the companies where it hurts, their profit margins. Six years ago, the US Rainforest Action Network started a boycott of Mitsubishi to protest its destruction of tropical rainforest. The boycott forced the company to sell its 40% stake in Mitsubishi's Malaysian forest holdings.
In Canada, green groups pressured the New York Times to cancel newsprint purchases from MacMillan Bloedel, infamous for its temperate rainforest logging in British Colombia.
In Australia, independent researchers developed a boycott woodchipping manual. North Ltd., Boral, Amcor and Wesfamers-Bunnings were shown to be the largest woodchippers in Australia. Groups such as the Wilderness Society, Nature Conservation Council, North East Forest Alliance, Australian Conservation Foundation and National Union of Students all supported a consumer boycott campaign.
Boral was chosen as the first target due to its large range of consumer products. Boral's timber sector makes up only 2% of its profits, small enough for it to have ended its destruction of native forests. Consumers have the power to force this change by refusing to purchase any Boral products, becoming aware of Boral's practices and informing friends and relatives.
Here are some facts about Boral:
- Boral sends more logs to the chipper than other company. Boral mills only convert 29% of sawlogs into sawn timber; other millers recover a minimum of 40-45% sawn product. In the Wingham, Gosford and Wyong management areas, only 10% of cut timber goes to sawlogs, the rest is woodchipped.
- Boral in Tasmania claims that its logging practices are sawlog driven, yet 5-10% of trees cut go to sawn timber, while 80-90% go to woodchips.
- Boral's operations are known to endanger Koala habitats. Core Koala habitat was felled in 1995 in Pine Creek State Forest, without an environmental impact statement and without compliance to the standard for retaining habitat trees for wildlife.
- Boral contractors at Nullum State Forest, near Byron Bay, wiped out the largest known population of the globally endangered plant elaeocarpus minyon, as well as breaching guidelines which protect water catchment.
- Boral is non-unionised. CFMEU timber division secretary Gavin Hillier says that, "Boral has access to 85% of the hardwood forests which taxpayers own and they are the worst employers as far as wages and conditions are concerned in NSW."
- Boral's major shareholders include National Nominees Ltd., Westpac Custodians Nominees, Australian Mutual Provident Society, ANZ Nominees Ltd., and the State Authorities Superannuation Board.
- Boral products including Blue Circle cement; Boral bricks, gas, timber and tyres, and Bitupave.
The Wilderness Society is asking people to boycott all Boral products, and write to Tony Berg, Managing Director, Boral, GPO Box 910, Sydney NSW 2001 telling him to stop native forest destruction. You can also set up your own Boycott Boral group. For more information, telephone the Wilderness Society on (02) 552 2355.