Greenpeace Canada calls it the Kleercut: Wiping Away Ancient Forests Campaign, we call it the Stop Wiping Your Ass on Old Growth Forest Campaign. Essentially, Greenpeace is working to get Kimberly-Clark (makers of Kleenex) out of the Canadian Boreal Forest and to encourage the company to stop using old growth forests for their paper products — old growth products are used in Kleenex toilet paper, facial tissues and napkins.
Stop using so much toilet paper. Two sheets should be enough for even the largest of ass.
Why Pick on Kleenex?
Kimberly-Clark clears ancient forests, essential in fighting climate change and providing home to wildlife like caribou, wolves, eagles and bears, according to Greenpeace Canada. The wood is then turned into Kleenex brand toilet paper, tissues and napkins. Charmin reports that the average consumer uses 8-9 sheets of toilet paper per trip, a total of 57 sheets a day, which adds up to 20,805 sheets per year.
The reality is the paper trade is considered to be a non-sustainable industry as there are not enough wood resources to continue to supply global paper demand indefinitely—more than 50% of the world’s forests have been destroyed or converted to non-forest use. Less than 20% of the world’s remaining forests are believed to be intact. It is estimated that 42% of the industrial wood harvest is used to make paper—a sobering fact given that forests store roughly 50 percent of all terrestrial carbon, making them one of our most important safeguards against climate change, according to the Environmental Paper Network’s report The State of the Paper Industry. Global paper demand is predicted to increase 60% in the next 10-15 years, from 368 million tons in 2005 to 579 million tons in 2021 according to RISI, an information provider for the global forest products’ industry.
The average consumer uses 8-9 sheets of toilet paper per trip, a total of 57 sheets a day, which adds up to 20,805 sheets per year.
Toilet Paper World reports that one ton of 100% recycled paper saves 4,100 kwh of energy (enough to power the average home for six months) and 7,000 gallons of water. It also keeps more than 60 pounds of pollution out of the air and saves 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space, which is increasingly important as many local landfills near their capacity. Paper industry representatives have estimated that one ton of recycled paper saves approximately 17 trees. Alternatives such as hemp and kenaf can substitute for trees used to provide single use paper. According to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, one acre of hemp can produce 4 times more paper than one acre of trees.
What You Can Do
• Stop using old growth forest to wipe your butt or blow your nose.• Stop using so much paper. Two sheets should be enough for even the largest of ass.
• Purchase recycled content paper products for use in your home and office.
• Greenpeace Canada recommends only purchasing products containing fiber from Forest Stewardship Council eco-certified forests.
Join The Campaign
To get involved in the campaign to get Kimberly-Clark out of the Canadian Boreal Forests visit: http://www.kleercut.net
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