As part of a tongue and check campaign Greenpeace says, “To wrap Barbie in cheap, throw-away packaging, Indonesia’s forests are being destroyed, climate change is accelerating and endangered species, such as the Sumatran Tiger, are losing vital habitat. Ken dumped Barbie once he discovered she was wrapped in a forest scandal.”
Greenpeace continues, “Seriously, our research shows that packaging for the doll is produced using timber from the rainforests of Indonesia, home to critically endangered species such as the Sumatran tiger. Forensic tests proved Barbie’s packaging right here in Australia contains rainforest pulp.”
Meanwhile, APP has strongly opposed the allegations saying it uses over 95 per cent recycled paper in its carton box packaging making and has a zero tolerance for illegal wood entering its supply chain.
In a response to the Greenpeace attack, APP says, “Greenpeace’s allegation that it found mixed tropical hardwood fibres in some products that we might have produced is meaningless. Indonesia’s pulpwood land concessions, legally provided by the Government of Indonesia, include some degraded forests, which are required by law to be developed into plantations.”
The paper giant outlines that rather than burn the wood residues, increase carbon emissions or create disease outbreaks in the forests, the government requires that they be used to produce paper pulp.
The APP statement continues, “Despite this, as publicly stated, we have set the goal of 100 per cent sustainable plantation pulpwood by 2015. There is absolutely no illegal wood tolerated, nor is high conservation forest (HCV) harvested for pulpwood production.
“We call on Greenpeace to do the responsible thing and share with the public the detailed scientific analysis and independent result on which it bases its allegations. If the group has identified any specific illegal fibre in the products it analysed, we want to know what it is because of our zero tolerance for illegal wood.”
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