The Implications of Sustainable Development for the Forest Product Industry

major change has taken place over the past few years in the public's attitude toward the A forest products industry in general, and the pulp and paper industry in particular. Until very recently, the public praised the industry's products for their versatility, low cost, cleanliness, and for being made from a renewable raw material. Steady progress was also being made in reducing the known environmental impacts of our industries' effluents. This sudden change in public opinion is largely the result of a major campaign global in nature, well financed, and skillfully managed that has capitalized on a heightened environmental concern among an affluent generation in the developed countries. The effects of this change in some of our industry's markets and operations have been dramatic. Market pulp specifications in Germany are no longer limited to properties of the pulp required to satisfy its intended use; they now require certification that strict environmental performance standards have been implemented at the mill that produces it, and assurance that sustainable management practices are being followed in the forests from which the fiber comes. Now it is proposed that the pulp supplier be required to fund the collection and recycling of the products after customer use. To paraphrase Germany's Environment Minister, "You no longer sell pulp in Germany 2 you merely lease its use." Restoring a positive public image requires not only maintaining our product quality, but also assurances that we are managing forests and operating manufacturing processes in an environmentally sustainable manner. Above all, we must do a better job of communicating our processes and improvements to the public, so that it can be more knowledgeable about our industry.