Greenbang -- No such thing as ‘carbon-neutral’ paper: coalition
March 24th, 2009
Don’t buy “carbon-neutral” paper, warns an environmental coalition — that is, don’t believe the hype many paper companies are using to appear green and eco-friendly to consumers.
The Environmental Paper Network says the “carbon neutral” label often used for paper doesn’t always reflect the actual environmental impacts. The organisation is recommending ways to improve the measurement of carbon footprints for paper products.
“Paper production can never be ‘carbon neutral,’ ” said Ginger Cassady of ForestEthics and senior campaigner for the Do Not Mail campaign to establish a registry for Americans to opt-out of junk mail. “Resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions are inevitable in the production of paper, and we must support products which are truly ‘low carbon’, and not those which make suspiciously unrealistic claims of carbon neutrality.”