Transcript The Sustainable Futures Project and the Recycled Products

EPP Textbook Project
Coordinated by:
Program goal:
To catalyze market support for the
conservation of natural resources and
key conservation areas.
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Why Textbooks?
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Effort in textbook sector is part of a larger effort the book
industry as a whole
77% global growth in pulp, paper, publishing (19952020) and over 90% of paper is virgin fiber
Paper production and consumption is impacting
rare and Endangered Forest types and communities
Book industry as a whole consumes over one million tons
or nearly 20 million trees per year. Textbooks represent
approximately 20% of this total consumption.
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Impact Area:
U.S. Southeast
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The Impacts
• Largest Paper Producing Region in World
• 5-6 Million acres/year logged for paper
•Book paper: one of top ten products produced
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Forest Conversion
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Into Managed Plantations
•90% fewer species and impacts on local communities due
to chemical exposure
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Canadian Boreal Forest
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“North America’s Amazon,” as the world's largest
contiguous wooded wilderness.
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Home to 500 indigenous communities
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Home to 40% of N. America’s bird species
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The Boreal also stores more carbon than any forest
on earth
It is estimated that 65% of trees cut in the Boreal
are used to make paper / 80% to U.S. consumers
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Canadian Boreal Forest
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“North America’s Amazon,” as
the world's largest contiguous
wooded wilderness.
Home to 40% of N. America’s
bird species
The Boreal also stores more
carbon - the primary
constituent for global warming
- than any other forest on
earth.
It is estimated that 65% of
trees cut in the Boreal are
used to make paper.
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Canadian Boreal Forest
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Canadian Boreal Forest
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Canadian Boreal Forest
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Textbooks and Indonesia
•World’s most biodiverse forests
•72% loss of original forests
•In 1999, pulp/paper accounted
for ½ of forest exports
•800% growth from 88-99
•High amounts of illegal logging
(40% from 95-99)
•Significant impacts on
indigenous population
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Precautionary Principle
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Educational Stakeholders can support through:
1. Pressuring publishers to produce textbooks
responsibly [letter/national sign-on statement]
2. Increased commitment to and use of FSC,
recycled, and alternative fiber paper
3. Incorporation of EPP goals into future contracts
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Market Trends
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Supply Chain is Responding in the Tradebook Sector
-Over 126 U.S. publishers [including Random House and
McGraw-Hill] with formal paper policies in place
-Over 20 new environmental book papers in last 3-4 years
-Over 10 million books on recycled fiber in 2005
-Over 15 U.S. book printers stocking recycled/FSC
-Price parity / competitive pricing is possible
-Greater demand = lower prices / more availability
-Further advancements are directly linked to the widespread
participation of publishers and others
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Program Goals & Strategies
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Continuing encouragement of publishers and paper
mills to determine recycled fiber threshold levels and
to develop/utilize textbook papers w/ recycled and
FSC fiber
Working w/ state agencies, colleges and university
systems and professors, and individual schools and
districts to communicate environmental goals
Working with textbook purchasers (states, districts,
college book stores) to incorporate environmental
paper specifications into contracts
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EPP Goal: Postconsumer Recycled
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Good quality, competitively priced, readily
available in marketplace.
Encourage publishers and to produce books
with pc content – publishers will ask mills
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Response time can be quick
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Tangible Environmental Benefits
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Postconsumer Recycled
Per Ton Savings [Ton of Virgin vs. Recycled Freesheet]
What
Enviro Savings
% Better
Greenhouse Gases
2,208 pounds
38.8%
Water Utilization
10,195 gallons
49.7%
Typical Trees
24 trees
100%
Calculations provided by Environmental Defense, Washington D.C., 2004
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EPP Goal: Forest Stewardship
Council Certified Fiber (FSC)
FSC Certified fiber / paper ensures:
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Fiber does not originate from Endangered Forests
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Indigenous rights have been adequately respected
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No conversion from bio-diverse forest to single
species plantation
Chemical inputs / clear-cuts significantly reduced
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Steps for Educational Stakeholders
1. Formally communicate wishes to publishers
through letter and/or endorsing statement:
-Maximization of recycled fiber
-Maximization of paper that is FSC certified
3. Incorporate EPP goals for textbook paper into
contracts when renegotiating/ re-adopting
4. Recycle more paper!!
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Potential Challenges
Higher costs --- maybe: can shift w/ widespread
shifts
Non-responsive publishers
Uninterested stakeholders
So many other priorities
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Precedents and Current Work
Precedents
Federal and state paper procurement initiatives
Cooperative purchasing programs
[recycledproducts.org]
Current Work
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Higher ed. focus/success
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Working with 12 states: NC, NJ, DE, MA, VT,
NY, CA, MI, RI, TX, WA
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Beginning a K-12 strategy
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Contact us
www.greenpressinitiative.org
www.nwf.org
Todd Pollak: 734-418-2919
[email protected]
April Smith: 802-496-5547
[email protected]
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