How toilet paper is threatening Indonesia's tigers

DESTRUCTION: One of the images used by Greenpeace to show the destruction of the rainforest by Sinar Mas, owners of APP

Precious tiger habitat also disappearing

February 2012: Our choice of toilet paper could be contribute to the destruction of Indonesian rainforest and tiger habitat, according to a World Wildlife Fund.

A new WWF report finds that Asian Pulp & Paper (APP), the fifth-largest tissue producer in the world and a subsidiary of the Sinar Mas, is rapidly expanding into the American market with paper that is linked to rainforest destruction, originating from areas that are the last home for critically endangered species such as Sumatran tigers, elephants, and orangutans.

Products made with APP fibre, such as toilet paper, paper towels and tissue, are increasingly landing in American grocery stores, restaurants, schools and hotels across the country under the Paseo and Livi brand names.

Retailers are removing APP products from stores
Eight large retailers – BI-LO, Brookshire Grocery Company, Delhaize Group (owner of Food Lion chain), Harris Teeter, Kmart, Kroger, SUPERVALU, and Weis Markets – have decided to stop carrying tissue products made with APP fibre during the past several months.

‘We applaud the decision by these companies to remove these products from their stores,' said Jan Vertefeuille, head of WWF's Tiger Campaign.

Since it began operating in Indonesia in 1984, WWF estimates that APP and its affiliates have pulped nearly 5 million acres of tropical forest on the island of Sumatra, which equals an area roughly the size of 4 million football fields or larger than the state of Massachusetts.

Consumers aren't aware about the impact on faraway forests
‘Consumers shouldn't have to choose between tigers and toilet paper,' said Linda Kramme, a WWF forest expert. ‘We're asking retailers, wholesalers and consumers not to buy Paseo or Livi products until APP stops clearing rainforests in Sumatra.'

The report adds: ‘More than 50 per cent of shoppers say they consider sustainability when they shop, but people may not be aware that products used every day, like paper and tissue, can be linked to devastating impacts on forests in faraway places.'