and more
Forests flushed down the toilet
Kimberly Clark, the maker of Andrex toilet tissue and Kleenex facial tissues, has been ranked bottom in a WWF report assessing the impact European tissue companies are having on the world’s forests.
All of the five biggest European tissue manufacturers - Procter and Gamble, SCA, Kimberly Clark, Metsa Tissue and Georgia Pacific - were found to be offering inadequate recycled content in their toilet paper, towels and napkins. SCA Tissue, which makes Velvet, came out top and Procter & Gamble, which makes Charmin and Bounty, came fourth. The report says that the majority of tissue products contain high-quality virgin fibres which are taken directly from important forests around the world.
“Everyday about 270,000 trees are effectively flushed down the toilet or end up as garbage around the world. This is occurring at a time when some of the world’s most important forests are already under a serious threat of survival,” said Andrew Lee, Director of Campaigns for WWF. “Manufacturers must use more recycled fibres in their tissue products, as this means fewer trees will be cut down.”
Toilet paper and towels in offices, schools and hotels are mostly made out of recycled fibres, and WWF believes that there is no reason why it should be any different for the same products sold in supermarkets. Manufacturers argue that retailers mainly want to stock non-recycled products because this is what consumers are asking for.
“The majority of consumers have no idea that they may be threatening the world’s forests through their choice of toilet and tissue paper,” says Beatrix Richards, Senior Forests Officer at WWF. “Manufacturers have a duty to label their products more clearly - recycling symbols on tissue packaging can be misleading as they often only refer to the wrapping paper, and not to the product itself.”
“Our advice to consumers is to buy the few recycled tissue products available in the shops which will help create an increased demand for them.”
WWF says that SCA Tissue is the only company which has so far taken effective measures to exclude illegal or controversial timber from their tissue products. However, it also says that preliminary meetings with the companies following the report have been positive and that they plan to repeat the study in November.
Find out more on www.wwf.org.uk or telephone 01483 426444
Mass protest against calf exports
A mass protest against the export of live calves to European veal crates
– a highly-controversial trade with serious animal welfare considerations
– is being called for by the UK vegetarian campaign group, Viva!.
The demonstration is planned for Saturday May 6, 11am to 3pm at Dover
seafront, near the eastern docks.
Over 75 per cent of the British public claim to be against live exports
and, before the beef ban brought an end to calf exports 10 years ago,
mass demonstrations by ordinary people closed export ports such as Brightlingsea,
Shoreham and Plymouth and ended shipments from Coventry airport. Viva!,
along with many other animal welfare groups, has pledged to bring a
halt to exports from Dover with similar protests.
Up to 500,000 newborn male dairy calves are currently shot every year
in the UK. Unable to produce milk and too scrawny for beef, they are
the unwanted by-products of milk production.
Due to relentless pressure from Britain’s dairy farmers, Europe’s
ban on British beef and calf imports has been lifted and, after a 10
year hiatus, these calves will once again be transported to the veal
producers in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Many are still using
veal crates, in which calves are kept in solitary confinement in a space
so small they cannot even turn round. It is a system considered so cruel
that it has been banned in Britain as a result of constant campaigning.
More at www.viva.org.uk or phone
0117 944 1000
High street stores must go beyond Fairtrade cotton
Since Ethical Consumer covered clothes shops in Issue 98, it seems the
whole high street is taking ethical issues more seriously. Topshop is
the latest high street fashion retailer to announce its involvement
with Fairtrade cotton, having signed a deal to sell Fairtrade-marked
lines for a limited period in one store. This follows Marks & Spencer’s
recent launch of its own products bearing the Fairtrade cotton mark,
and a similar move by catalogue retailer La Redoute.
Does this mean that these companies have ‘gone ethical’? Not
really, but Martin Hearson, Labour Behind the Label’s Campaign
Co-ordinator, hopes it is a start: “Fairtrade cotton represents
an important step for cotton farmers in developing countries, and this
is an important point. However, there is much that these high street
companies need to do to convince us that their commitment to workers’
rights is real and that Fairtrade cotton is not just a fig leaf to cover
the embarrassment of exploitation in their supply chains.” The
Fairtrade Mark also only applies to a small number of product lines
in each of the high street stores involved: we can only guess about
the origins of the cotton used in the rest of the products they sell.
Labour Behind the Label has also found that Topshop and La Redoute have
displayed little willingness to engage with labour rights campaigners,
and has been disappointed with both companies’ attitudes towards
specific instances of workers’ rights violations. Marks & Spencer
has taken a more progressive stance, but without disclosing the name,
location and audit results of the factory producing its product lines,
especially those supplying Fairtrade cotton, how can consumers be sure
about the working conditions involved?
Find out more about Labour Behind the Label’s work by visiting
www.labourbehindthelabel.org
or contact 01603 666 160 or 38 Exchange St, Norwich, NR2 3AT
Car Club users double in 6 months
Carplus data shows there are now 4000 people using 200 car club vehicles.
Carplus is the national charity promoting responsible car use. It bridges
the gap between green transport organisations and the motoring lobby.
Whilst recognising the benefits cars bring to society, Carplus is acutely
aware of the financial, environmental, social and health costs of motoring
today.
More information at www.carplus.org.uk
or phone 0113 234 9299.
Real Nappy Week celebrates its 10th anniversary
The growth of a global phenomenon will be celebrated during the 10th
annual Real Nappy Week from 24-30 April 2006. Last year’s Real
Nappy Week attracted record support with the backing of over 80% of
UK local authorities and almost 500 events in 65 counties.
Women’s Environmental Network’s (WEN) Elizabeth Hartigan says,
“Real Nappy Week has made an incredible journey: an idea that was
brewed up at a kitchen table ten years ago is now a global movement.
And the nappies have come a long way too: parents can choose from an
amazing range of shapes, styles and fabrics which are easy to use and
simple to wash.”
The Real Nappy Helpline - 0845 850 0606 - gives callers details of their
local cloth nappy contacts whether they want to buy them, to wash at
home or use a laundry service. To find out how you can celebrate Real
Nappy Week’s 10th anniversary go to www.wen.org.uk/rnw
or call WEN on 020 7481 9004.
Wal-Mart film catalogues company criticisms
A new documentary, targeting Wal-Mart and its unethical practices, hopes
to do the same to Wal-Mart as ‘Supersize Me’ did for McDonald’s.
If you ever needed persuading that Asda (owned by Wal-Mart) doesn’t
need your money, then this film will convince you. The film features
numerous stories covering a range of issues including how Wal-Mart has
affected American small businesses and towns, the store’s anti-union
policies and how poorly it treats its employees and overseas workers.
Even if you think you know the importance of fighting Wal-Mart and the
other big supermarkets, you can’t fail to be drawn into, shocked
and outraged by the eloquent personalised accounts featured in the film.
Well worth seeing, especially by supermarket lovers. ‘Wal-Mart,
the high cost of low price’, will be released in the UK in May
2006 and distributed by Tartan films. In the meantime, you can visit
the website www.walmartthemovie.com
