Producing Reflex paper from native forests impacts our climate, water and wildlife.

The production of woodchips for pulp and paper is the largest driver of forest destruction in Australia and Australian Paper, maker of Reflex, is the largest domestic purchaser of pulplogs from Victoria's native forests.

Viable alternatives exist. Australia currently has a vast amount of plantation wood available so there is no excuse for Reflex to be produced from the destruction of our native forests.

Logging native forests damages crucial wildlife habitat, damages water catchments and releases huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere - globally, 'logging and land-use changes' account for approx 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions.

Furthermore, most forestry jobs are in the plantation sector but state governments use our taxpayer dollars to sell native forests at artificially low prices, undermining the plantation sector and putting plantation jobs at risk.

action for organisations   

Get your business or organisation to join more than 1300 others that have pledged not to purchase Reflex Paper until Australian Paper stops sourcing from our native forests. It's an excellent way to show that your organisation is committed to a sustainable future for Australia.



action for individuals

Even if you're not a business or organisation you can still take action as an individual!
Sign the petition telling Officeworks to refuse to stock Reflex Paper as long as its producer, Australian Paper, sources wood fibre from the logging of native forests.

 

Protect Forests

Let's make Reflex paper sustainable!

Let's make Reflex paper sustainable!   |   Buy recycled paper   |  Jobs

Unfortunately, Reflex paper is currently produced using wood from native forest made artificially cheaper by government subsidises - your taxpayer dollars being used to log native forests!

However, Reflex could be produced using wood from existing plantations in Victoria and from recycled fibre. There is already enough plantation wood available to completely substitute Australian Paper's native forest wood allocation.

The solution is to produce Reflex paper using plantation wood from the 'Green Triangle' in Western Victoria. There is even existing freight rail lines between the plantation resource and the mill that makes Reflex.

The Maryvale paper mill is an important employer for the Central Gippsland region. By using plantation wood and increasing the use of recycled fibre, the mill can continue to operate without destroying our native forests. This would end the controversial logging in Victoria's Central Highlands and Strzelecki Ranges.

There is no need to buy copy papers that destroy forests in Australia or overseas. All Reflex paper could be made from plantation timber and recycled content and it'd be an Aussie-made product to be proud of.

take action today


Buy recycled copy paper

Make a commitment to the environment by NOT purchasing Reflex paper until its producer, Australian Paper, stops sourcing from native forests.Evolve photocopy paper 100% recycled

Below are copy papers you can use instead. They are all 100% post-consumer recycled paper.

You can also download an ethical copy paper guide (300kB PDF)

...and remember, reducing your paper use is the best option of all!

 

Evolve photocopy paper 100% recycled
Evolve
- 100% recycled post-consumer waste.
- White A4 and A3.
- Other colours available.
- Process chlorine free (PCF) bleaching.

Suppliers:
Office Choice
Office National
Office Products Depot
Office King
Kookaburra
SCRAP (School Communities Recycling All Paper)

 


Vision - Pure White photocopy paper
Vision - Pure White
- 100% recycled post-consumer waste.
- White A4 and A3.
- Other colours available.

Suppliers:
Kookaburra

 


Fuji Zerox photocopy paper
Fuji Xerox Recycled Pure+
- 100% recycled post-consumer waste
- Photocopy white, A4, A3
- Other colours available
- PCF -process chlorine free bleaching

Suppliers:
Fuji Xerox
Media Form
Eco Office Supplies

 


OfficeMax photocopy paper
OfficeMax 100% Recycled Copy Paper
100% recycled post-consumer waste
Photocopy white, A4, A3, A5

Suppliers:
Office Max

 


Ecoconcern photocopy paper
Ecocern 100%
post-consumer recycled paper scrap.
Available in A1, A3 and A4.
Many other paper products available, including envelopes and paper bags.
Made in Australia.

Suppliers:
Ecocern
Eco Office Supplies
SCRAP (School Communities Recycling All Paper)

take action today

 


Jobs

Most forestry jobs are in the plantation sector. Softwood plantations provide the most jobs and hardwood plantations have increased significantly in recent years - so much so that hardwood plantations can provide 3.5 million cubic metres of eucalypt hardwood a year. That's almost three times the total amount currently taken from our public native forests!

Businesses in the plantation sector have invested money and time into growing trees that are just right for paper manufacture but the availability of subsidised native forest woodpulp to a few companies undercuts the plantation sector and therefore threatens plantation jobs.

The housing and construction industries have already taken advantage of the availability of plantation wood and shifted to plantation products. It is possible for paper companies to do this too.

Australian Paper could produce Reflex paper using plantation wood from the Green Triangle in Western Victoria - an area where there is an ample supply of plantation wood. There are already freight rail lines between the plantations and the Reflex paper mill in Maryvale.

The Maryvale mill is an important employer for the Central Gippsland region. If Australian Paper uses plantation wood and increases the use of recycled fibre, the mill can stay open, protecting jobs for the long term.

Many more jobs could also be created if our tax dollars, that currently subsidise the woodchipping of native forests, were redirected to improve processing technology in the plantation sector. This would allow the plantation sector to take advantage of export markets in the growing Asian economy.

Let's use Victoria's plantations for what they do best - providing timber and providing jobs. That way, we can let our native forests do what they do best - provide homes for wildlife, supply us with clean water and help reduce the effects of dangerous climate change by safely storing carbon.

take action today

 

Logging

Producing Reflex paper from native forests impacts our climate, water and wildlife.

Australian Paper, maker of Reflex, is the largest domestic purchaser of pulplogs from Victoria's native forests.

These native forests are some of the most carbon dense forests on Earth. Logging and post-logging burning releases enormous amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Protecting Victoria's forests - both existing old growth forests and allowing previously degraded forests to restore their lost carbon - is a crucial component in the fight against climate change.

The native forests that Australian Paper currently sources its wood from are home to many threatened species. Victoria's faunal emblem, the Fairy (Leadbeater's) Possum, is at risk from ongoing logging. Logging fragments and destroys habitat. The tragic 2009 fires burned almost 50% of the Fairy (Leadbeater's) Possum habitat and despite calls for change by leading scientific experts, Australian Paper continues to source wood from these forests. Populations of other threatened species have plummeted in recent years. The Baw Baw frog, the Sooty Owl, the Barred Galaxias (a little known native fish) are all impacted by logging operations.

Sadly, logging also occurs within Victoria's precious water catchments. These catchments are natural water factories for both city and rural communities. Logging reduces both the quality and quantity of water. We all do our bit to save water but Reflex's ongoing sourcing of wood from Victoria's water catchments has a significant impact on the viability of future supplies of our drinking water.

It is not good enough. Reflex's ongoing sourcing of native forest wood has a major impact on our climate, water and wildlife.

take action today

 

We've signed the Pledge!

Join the list of 1300+ organisations that are committed to sustainability and the environment.

Each of the following organisations has signed the Ethical Paper Pledge asserting their commitment to NOT purchase Reflex paper until its producer, Australian Paper, stops sourcing from native forests.

pledge logos Bleyer LawyersFirst National Real Estate Australia yarra city council The Body Shop scholle industries St Vincents Private Hospital Lismore gloria jeans coffee HealthSuper Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses Latrobe University LGsuper Clarius Group Australian Ethical Superannuation and Investment United Voice, Victoria UTS - Plant Functional Biology and Climate Change Cluster Intrepid Travel Australian Education Union STA Travel LJ Hooker Real Estate Australia

If you're a business or organisation, make a commitment to sustainability and the environment today! Sign the Ethical Paper Pledge

 

 

Help Protect Forests

Action for companies and organisations.

action for organisations   

Get your organisation to sign the Ethical Paper Pledge asserting a commitment to NOT purchase Reflex paper until its producer, Australian Paper, stops sourcing from native forests.



As an individual, you can also take action!

action for individuals

Even if you're not a business or organisation, you can still take action as an individual!

Over 13000 people have signed the petition telling Officeworks to refuse to stock Reflex Paper as long as its producer, Australian Paper, sources wood fibre from the logging of native forests.



Further actions.

Write a letter to the makers of Reflex paper.

Jim Henneberry
Chief Executive Officer
Australian Paper
307 Ferntree Gully Road
Mt Waverley VIC 3149


Contact the media

The Age
Letters to the Editor
letters@theage.com.au
655 Collins Street
Docklands VIC 3008

The Herald Sun
Letters to the Editor
online@heraldsun.com.au
PO Box 14999
Melbourne City MC, 8001

The Australian
Letters to the Editor
letters@theaustralian.com.au
GPO Box 4245
Sydney, NSW, 2001

 

Contact your local paper

Find your local Leader paper here:
http://leader-news.whereilive.com.au/


Contact your local member of parliament

Speak with and write to your local member about protecting native forests.

Find your local MP here:
http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/members/assembly
http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/members/council


Get local businesses in your area to sign the Ethical Paper Pledge

A great place to start is the community groups you are already a part of, for example your local RSL, church, bowling club, or community centre. Email us for an Ethical Paper community campaigning pack.

 

 

In the media

Logging sparks clash of timber and tourism

www.theaustralian.com.au, June 12, 2012

THE fire-ravaged hills of Melbourne's nature tourism fringe are under renewed threat, with mass arrests and displaced wildlife adding fresh heat to long-simmering concerns about clear-fell logging.

Full article »

 

Logging a complaint at Mt St Leonard

http://www.maroondahweekly.com.au, June 12, 2012

Thirty-one environmentalists and residents of Healesville and Toolangi were arrested last Thursday for refusing to leave an active clearfell logging coupe on the flanks of Mt St Leonard.

Full article »

 

30 arrested at anti-logging protest at Mt St Leonard

http://www.heraldsun.com.au, June 08, 2012

THIRTY people were arrested during an anti-logging protest at Mt St Leonard, north of Healesville, yesterday.

Full article »

 

Tree-pronged attack as Abbott throws down gauntlet on logging

www.theage.com.au, June 08, 2012

OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott has challenged Victoria's practice of clearfell logging native forests, saying few people would not be revolted by the damage it caused.

Full article »

 

Protesters blockade Mt St Leonard

www.weeklytimesnow.com.au, June 04, 2012

UPDATE: ENVIRONMENTALISTS blockaded the Baillieu government's logging of Mt St Leonard in the Yarra Valley this morning.

Full article »

 

Vic fire communities rally against logging

news.ninemsn.com.au, June 04, 2012

Environmentalists are blockading a logging coupe in Victoria's Black Saturday bushfire zone to try to save a pocket of forest spared by the fires.

Full article »

 

Walsh apologises to MyEnvironment

www.weeklytimesnow.com.au, May 30, 2012

VICTORIAN Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh has been forced into an embarrassing apology over attacks on an environment group who went to court in an attempt to protect the remaining habitat of the endangered Fairy (Leadbeater's) Possum from logging.

Full article »

 

Logging blight on tourism

Mountain Views Mail, www.starnewsgroup.com.au, May 16, 2012

TOOLANGI and Healesville residents say logging is ruining tourism and have begun campaigning against a new coupe that will be logged on Mt St Leonard in the coming weeks.

Full article »

 

New state law in the pipeline to aid loggers

www.theage.com.au, November 3, 2011

State government proposes ammendments to exempt logging projects from the requirements of the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act, which protects endangered and threatened species.

Full article »

 

Australian Paper pulp supplier in legal drama

proprint.com.au, September 23, 2011

Australian Paper has unveiled its sustainability strategy, but the message could be overshadowed by news of an injunction to halt logging by supplier VicForests.

Full article »

 

Officeworks urged to drop Reflex paper

news.ninemsn.com.au, September 13, 2011

National stationery retailer Officeworks has a lot of explaining to do by stocking paper sourced from native Australian forests, a green group says.

Full article »

 

Protest calls for Officeworks to dump Reflex

weeklytimesnow.com.au, September 13, 2011

PROTESTERS donned rubber gloves this morning in Melbourne to demand Officeworks cleans up its act and dump Reflex paper.

Full article »

 

Timber auditor axes operations

www.theage.com.au, September 12, 2011

THE ORGANISATION that gives a green tick to some of Australia's biggest timber and paper companies has voluntarily suspended most of its operations after a bruising stoush with environment groups over its approval of paper brand Reflex.

Full article »

 

Just 1% of central highlands old growth survives

www.theage.com.au, September 12, 2011

"This forest is one of the saddest things I've ever seen in 30 years of ecological science. What we are seeing is a truly iconic forest evaporating before our eyes and it will never be the same again"

Full article »

 

Reflex loses environmental certification.

weeklytimesnow.com.au, September 1, 2011

UPDATE: RURAL jobs could be at stake after Australia's largest brand of copy paper no longer has an environmental certification.

Full article »

 

Black Saturday area risks future fires: study.

ABC TV news footage (Victoria) August 25, 2011

A new study has found the young regrowth planted in areas like Marysville north-east of Melbourne is far more flammable than the bush it has replaced.

Full article »

 

Court orders temporary logging injunction.

www.abc.net.au, August 25, 2011

The Victorian Supreme Court has ordered the state-owned timber company, VicForests, to temporarily stop logging in the Sylvia Creek Forest, north-east of Melbourne.

Full article »

 

Reflex paper loses green tick of approval.

www.theage.com.au, August 23, 2011

AUSTRALIA'S best-known brand of paper, Reflex, is to be stripped of its international green certification.

Full article »

 

Two in court over Sylvia Creek logging protest.

maroondahweekly.com.au, August 23, 2011

The Gun Barrel coupe has been the site of a month-long series of protests by conservationists and local activists who fear continued logging will wipe out the remaining habitat of the endangered Fairy (Leadbeater’s) possum.

Full article »

 

No agreement on paper.

www.theage.com.au, August 03, 2011

The price of the one-month extension granted to Reflex's manufacturer, Australian Paper, has been to open deep divisions within the certification system, with international governing body the Forest Stewardship Council attacking Australian Paper's auditor, SmartWood, over the decision.

Full article »

 

Man arrested as anti-logging protesters target Toolangi.

Lilydale and Yarra Valley Leader, August 2, 2011

UPDATE 3.05pm: A GREENS candidate who ran for the seat of McEwen last year was arrested at an anti-logging protest today.

Full article »

 

Protesters stand firm on logging in Sylvia Creek.

maroondahweekly.com.au, August 02, 2011

RALLIES have continued in the city and in the forest coupes of Sylvia Creek as protesters vow to stay united in their stance against logging by VicForests.

Full article »

 

Protest at Victorian Premier Baillieu's office.

Youtube, July 28, 2011

Protest outside the office of Victorian Premier Baillieu to call for an immediate halt to native forest logging for Reflex paper in the Toolangi forests of Victoria's Central Highlands. 28 July 2011.

Full article »

 

Eco whistleblowers.

www.digitaledition.blacktownadvocate.com.au, July 20, 2011

The Wilderness Society red-carded Blacktown's Officeworks store last week - crying foul over the company's use of Reflex paper.

Full article »

 

Paper cuts.

www.melbournetimesweekly.com.au, July 19, 2011

THE Wilderness Society is calling on Officeworks to take the Ethical Paper Pledge and refuse to stock Reflex paper, until it is no longer made from Victorian forest timber.

Full article »

 

Protesters try to stop logging of old forests at Sylvia Creek.

www.heraldsun.com.au, July 18, 2011

Mr Chamberlain said the area included mountain ash trees which were home to the endangered Fairy (Leadbeater's) possum, Victoria's animal emblem. "Most of these ancient trees will be wood-chipped to make Reflex paper, it's a disgraceful waste when we could be using plantation timber to supply all the paper we need," he said.

Full article »

 

Protesters march to save Victoria's forest.

ABC TV news footage (Victoria) 7pm Sunday July 17, 2011

Local residents and environmentalists have protested at Sylvia Creek north-east of Melbourne in the hope of preventing mountain ash trees from being cut down.

View footage »

 

Australian Paper hopes stakeholder review will resolve environmental image crisis.

www.proprint.com.au, June 27, 2011

The Wilderness Society responded to news of the stakeholder review "with disbelief" and "completely rejected claims that Australian Paper’s operations are sustainable".

Full article »

 

Conservationists target paper office.

news.ninemsn.com.au, June 23, 2011

Less than 1000 Fairy (Leadbeater's) possums remain in the wild and are not expected to survive beyond 2050 if logging does not cease.

Full article »

 

Australian Paper jobs on the line.

weeklytimesnow.com.au, June 7, 2011

John Lenders has told Victorian Parliament that Japanese-owned Australian Paper, near Traralgon, is likely to lose "international environmental accreditation'' unless it moves away from native forest woodchip harvested by Victorian Government native forest logging agency VicForests.

Full article »

 

Green paper needs Reflex action.

theage.com.au, May 30, 2011

REFLEX, Australia's best-known brand of paper, is set to lose its international green accreditation within the next two months.

Full article »

 

Lingerie-clad protesters strip down for a cause.

heraldsun.com.au, May 24, 2011

Cheeky wilderness warriors showed plenty of skin as they hit the streets of Melbourne in a chilly protest this morning.

Full article »

 

Council told to lift ban on Reflex paper or lose new jobs.

heraldsun.com.au, May 21, 2011

Victorian Agriculture Minister, Peter Walsh threatens Yarra Ranges council for signing an environmental pledge to stop using Reflex because it is made from native forest. Mr Walsh said Reflex was a product of Australian Paper, an "important client" of VicForests.

Full article »

 

Fears for possum's fate.

maroondahweekly.com.au, May 3, 2011

AN ecology expert has warned that Victoria's fauna emblem, the Fairy (Leadbeater's possum), is under threat from proposed logging in some Yarra Ranges forests.

Full article »

 

Yarra Ranges Council signs pledge.

Lilydale and Yarra Valley Leader, May 2, 2011

YARRA Ranges Council is encouraging consumers and other councils to follow their lead in boycotting Reflex paper.

Full article »

 

Hint of greenwash on the paper trail.

www.smh.com.au, April 23, 2011

Australia should get its own house in order so that we can go out and take a principled stand in the rest of the world and start pressuring places like Indonesia over deforestation. At the moment we can't do that because we're doing it ourselves.

Full article »

 

Give A Possum A Tree.

www.newmatilda.com, April 11, 2011

The habitat of the endangered Fairy (Leadbeater's) Possum is disappearing but this cute creature isn't the only one to be left homeless by VicForests' logging policies.

Full article »

 

Wilderness Society steps up anti-Australian Paper protest.

www.proprint.com.au, February 15, 2011

The Wilderness Society has said two of its activists were removed by police after chaining themselves to the entrance to an Officeworks store as part of its campaign against Australian Paper.

Full article »

 

Big timber not quite out of the woods.

www.theaustralian.com.au, February 19, 2011

"I was revving the chainsaw and this young woman had her arms wrapped tightly around the leg of the tripod, the blade was inches from her face and she was not going to let go," Mitchell says.

Full article »


Unlikely activist in woodchips battle.

www.theaustralian.com.au, February 19, 2011

Victorian-based Australian Paper is facing a co-ordinated national protest from The Wilderness Society over the use of non-plantation product in its Reflex brand paper.

Full article »


Conflict between Wilderness Society and Australian Paper hits cyberspace.

www.proprint.com.au, February 8, 2011

The strained relationship between Australian Paper and The Wilderness Society reached a new low as conflict over paid-for links on Google took the disagreement to cyberspace.

Full article »


Australian Paper not keen on customer feedback.

Crikey Daily Mail, February 4, 2011

Australian Paper, makers of Reflex, are not too keen on customer feedback. When their customers started asking them via their Facebook page about their role in driving native forest destruction, their response was to delete all the comments they didn't like. Then they deleted their entire Facebook profile. Then they turned off comments on their blog. Is there any way customers CAN ask these questions without being censored?

Source: http://media.crikey.com.au/dm/newsletter/dailymail_fa1b0f92d7a29519170b6f3ee40e7f13.html

 

Google accused of papering over ads.

Sydney Morning Herald, February 1, 2011

GOOGLE has been accused of stifling free speech after it banned an ad attacking a paper manufacturer over its environmental record.

The Wilderness Society paid to have its ad on Google promoting a boycott against a paper manufacturer that uses wood sourced from Australian old-growth forests.

Full article »


Activists ramp up blitz on Reflex paper.

Sydney Morning Herald, January 31, 2011

A GREEN group has made corporate Australia its No.1 target, ramping up pressure on the makers of paper brand Reflex to stop using timber logged from native forests.

The Wilderness Society's battle with Australian Paper has already spilled over into cyberspace, with the company last week convincing internet giant Google to stop showing advertisements for the green group's ''Ethical Paper'' campaign.

Full article »

 

VicForests accused of felling old-growth mountain ash.

www.theage.com.au, June 29, 2010

The Victorian government's forestry arm will face a legal challenge over claims it illegally logged old-growth forest and increased the risk to a threatened species.

Full article »

 

take action today


Forest Furphys

The Wilderness Society responds to Australian Paper's claims.

Australian Paper claim: More than half the fibre we use each year is sourced from plantation wood, recycled pulp and wastepaper from kerbside collections.

 

The Wilderness Society response: Australian Paper is addicted to cheap pulp sourced from native forests, including endangered species habitat and water catchments.

This is your taxpayer dollars being used to log native forests and the reason why Australian Paper still gets approximately half of their pulp in such a destructive, unsustainable manner.

The fact that they are able to source the rest of their paper from plantation wood, recycled pulp and wastepaper clearly demonstrates that these sources are viable and economically feasible.

Other major industry players such as Gunns Limited and Kimberly Clark have completely transitioned to plantation wood, recycled pulp and wastepaper. Australian Paper can too.

Sourcing fibre from our native forests is unecessary, socially irresponsible and comes at the expense of our environment and our future.

 


Australian Paper claim: The remainder is regrowth wood purchased from the Victorian Government through VicForests as a by-product from the production of high quality sawn timber which is sustainably harvested in accordance with the Australian Forestry Standard, the only forest management standard that has been specifically developed for Australian conditions.

 

The Wilderness Society response: The pulp used by Australian Paper is not a "by-product" of high-quality sawn timber logs, and is certainly not sustainably harvested.

If the pulp was truly a "by-product”, then the supply to Australian timber would vary enormously, depending on how many high-quality sawn logs were being harvested to meet market demand.

The reality is that Australian Paper has a supply contract from native forests that is not dependent on sawmill supply to other mills. In a recent Federal Government Paper and Pulp Strategy Document (co-chaired by Australian Paper CEO Jim Henneberry) the industry finally confirmed that native forest logging is primarily accessed for pulp and paper and secondarily for other wood products, (see page 95 of the full report).

As for the pulp being "sustainably harvested”, the Australian Forestry Standard that Australian Paper claims to complies with is a toothless tiger, designed by government and industry to further the interests of the logging industry. It is not supported by environment organisations in Australia because it gives a rubber stamp to "business as usual” logging with scant consideration of environmental impacts.

These issues were all examined in the Supreme Court of Victoria, where Vicforests, the supplier of Australian Paper's pulp, was taken to court by environment groups. In the judgment, the logging at Brown Mountain in East Gippsland was found to be illegal despite obtaining the approval of the Australian Forestry Standard.

 


Australian Paper claim: After harvesting, all areas are replanted with the same species that naturally occurred on each site. No old growth wood is purchased by Australian Paper or used in the manufacture of our papers.

 

The Wilderness Society response: Simply replacing natural forests with single aged stands of trees does next to nothing to repair the damage inflicted by clearfell logging.

Trees may grow back to some degree but the ecosystem will take centuries, if ever, to re-establish after clearfell logging. State government sustainability reports show that "regeneration” is failing and that there is a major backlog of regeneration surveys to be undertaken.

Australian Paper's claim that they do not use old-growth in their manufacturing is unable to be supported. Firstly, old trees are logged, burned and destroyed in the forest to get to the younger trees that Australian Paper uses for paper production. The Age recently printed a photograph of a giant tree killed by VicForests in this manner.

Furthermore, Australian Paper has never provided guaranteed evidence that 'sawmill residue' it receives from other mills to make its paper does not come from old growth forests.

 


Australian Paper claim: All of our office papers are certified to either the Australian Forestry Standard (endorsed by the PEFC) or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards.

 

The Wilderness Society response: State owned timber-company VicForests supplies Australian Paper with its native forest wood. In 2009, VicForests failed to obtain FSC certification.

The FSC label on Reflex products was controversially obtained in 2007 without any consultation with environment groups. This is a fundamental breach of FSC principles and criteria and Australian Paper was subsequently re-audited.

Australian Paper’s FSC certification expired on the 26th July 2011 but was extended for one month until the audit was completed - primarily to check on the environmental credentials of native forest woodchips supplied to Australian Paper by VicForests.

At the eleventh hour, Australian Paper withdrew its request to have timber supplied by VicForests certified by the FSC, recognising it was unlikely to make the grade environmentally.

Australian Paper has now lost the ability to print the much-prized FSC certification logo on its flagship brand, Reflex paper.

As for the Australian Forestry Standard, this standard is dominated by industry interests and fails to adequately address the legality and sustainability of timber sources.

 


Australian Paper claim: Australian Paper is proud of our performance as a leading Australian manufacturer, delivering quality products from sustainably-managed, renewable resources.

 

The Wilderness Society response: Individual trees are renewable, but native forest ecosystems are not. On current logging rotations the full suite of ecological values within native forests never recover.

The state government's recent State of the Forest Report shows that we do not even have the data to measure performance against our own sustainability indicators in native forests. Australian Paper, as a recipient of this wood, therefore cannot claim that the forests are being managed sustainably.

 

take action today


Help promote Ethical Paper

Add a badge to your website.

By adding an Ethical Paper badge to your website you're not only promoting ethical paper, you're helping to save Victoria's precious forests and endangered wildlife.

 

Help save endangered wildlife. Take the Ethical Paper pledge!    

<a href="http://www.ethicalpaper.com.au" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.ethicalpaper.com.au/ethicalpaper/ethical-paper-help-save-endangered-species.jpg" alt="Help save endangered wildlife. Take the Ethical Paper pledge!" width="226" height="126" border="0" /></a>

Simply cut & paste the code above to add this badge to your website.


Say yes to forest protection. Take the Ethical Paper pledge!    

<a href="http://www.ethicalpaper.com.au" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.ethicalpaper.com.au/ethicalpaper/ethical-paper-say-no-to-forest-destruction.jpg" alt="Say yes to forest protection. Take the Ethical Paper pledge!" width="226" height="126" border="0" /></a>

Simply cut & paste the code above to add this badge to your website.


Take the Ethical Paper pledge!    

<a href="http://www.ethicalpaper.com.au" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.ethicalpaper.com.au/ethicalpaper/ethical-paper-take-the-ethical-paper-pledge.jpg" alt="Take the Ethical Paper pledge!" width="226" height="126" border="0" /></a>

Simply cut & paste the code above to add this badge to your website.
Thank you for signing the pledge.

 

We've created graphics for your organisation to proudly show its support for Australia's forests.

Web badges   |   Email signature graphics

 

Choose a Web badge.

Help save endangered species. Take the Ethical Paper pledge!    

<a href="http://www.ethicalpaper.com.au" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.ethicalpaper.com.au/ethicalpaper/ethical-paper-we-have-signed-the-pledge.png" alt="Take the Ethical Paper pledge!" width="186" height="81" border="0" /></a>

Simply cut & paste the code above to add this badge to your website.


Help save endangered species. Take the Ethical Paper pledge!    

<a href="http://www.ethicalpaper.com.au" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.ethicalpaper.com.au/ethicalpaper/ethical-paper-we-have-signed-the-forest-pledge.png" alt="Take the Ethical Paper pledge!" width="186" height="81" border="0" /></a>

Simply cut & paste the code above to add this badge to your website.


Help save endangered species. Take the Ethical Paper pledge!    

<a href="http://www.ethicalpaper.com.au" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.ethicalpaper.com.au/ethicalpaper/ethical-paper-we-have-signed-the-ethical-paper-pledge.png" alt="Take the Ethical Paper pledge!" width="186" height="81" border="0" /></a>

Simply cut & paste the code above to add this badge to your website.


Choose an email signature graphic.

Let everyone know that your organisation supports the protection of native forests and endangered species by adding a signature graphic to your emails.

Take the Ethical Paper pledge!

Paste this link into your email: http://www.ethicalpaper.com.au/ethicalpaper/email-signature-graphics/our-organisation-supports-native-forest-protection.jpg



Take the Ethical Paper pledge!

Paste this link into your email: http://www.ethicalpaper.com.au/ethicalpaper/email-signature-graphics/our-organisation-supports-endangered-species.jpg

 

 

 

Local voices

Logging for Reflex has very real, very personal consequences

Boasting the tallest hardwood trees in the world the Central Highlands forests are a national treasure and the last remaining habitat of the endangered Fairy (Leadbeater’s) possum.

Despite this, VicForests - the Victorian Government’s logging agency - is reducing these trees to woodchips. Most is sold to Australian Paper to make cheap, throwaway products like Reflex paper.

One town at the epicentre of this logging is Toolangi, 90 minutes north-east of Melbourne. It was spared the devastating 2009 bushfires despite being surrounded by fire on all sides. Having survived that trauma, locals are rallying again but this time they're fighting VicForests' bulldozers.

Kerryn Blackshaw
Kerryn Blackshaw,
Maternal and Child Health Nurse.

My family goes back three generations in the Yarra Ranges, and my three children attended Toolangi Primary School. The Black Saturday fires were a shock to us all. The fires kept coming from all directions, but this special place was saved and we’re so grateful to all who assisted.

The forest here has inspired me to write poetry and get involved in various community groups. It's also helped my children to thrive and move forward in their lives. Now, my view across the mountain has great gaps where clear-felling has already taken place. It's heartbreaking.

To know that trees from these forests are sold off on the cheap and turned into paper is criminal in my eyes. I can’t see any gain - financial or environmental - for the people of Victoria, and it means a significant loss of place for Toolangi residents.



Deanne Eccles
Deanne Eccles,
Owner, Strathvea Guest House.

My husband Toby and I have travelled extensively overseas, but we can say that Toolangi has some of the most beautiful forest in the world. The abundance of wildlife here is rare, and being able to interact with it is magical. The height of the Mountain Ash trees and the delicate splaying of the tree ferns is so uplifting.

Officeworks and the makers of Reflex need to start reading the science, and move with the times. The fact that they continue to support logging at Toolangi is completely disrespectful to our community and to the Australian environment. It’s also downright irresponsible - as logging continues, people here become more and more susceptible to bushfires.

The forests of Toolangi could be a huge tourist attraction, and need to be protected as National Park.



Michael Nardella
Michael Nardella,
AA Michael Nardella Real Estate.

My family has had a farm in Toolangi for around forty years. I love the small community feel of the area, and I've come to appreciate its unique forests - especially after working on bushfire recovery projects and joining the Country Fire Authority.

Logging in this area is spoiling the beautiful ecology of the forests and if that continues it will significantly reduce the tourist potential here. The damage that has already been done will take generations to regenerate - It's vital that we stop the clear-felling now to allow this to happen.

Officeworks and the makers of Reflex need to shift their operations to plantation timbers, away from unsustainable native forest logging. Our forests are worth more to the people of Victoria when they're left intact. Let's recognise this fact and declare this area National Park.



Trevor Parton and Mary White
Trevor Parton and Mary White,
Adult Educators - Centre for Ecology and Spirituality.

We've been living in Glenburn on the edge of the Toolangi Forest for eleven years and we regularly take people on walks along the Murrindindi River, Sylvia Creek and the tracks around Mt St Leonard. Folk never fail to be impressed by the magnificence of our forests with their mix of old growth and younger trees.

Over the years we have sadly witnessed coups being cleared and burnt and then covered with re-growth. Given the destruction caused by recent bushfires we really should preserve our remaining native forests at all costs. Their reduction into Reflex paper, or any paper for that matter is very regrettable.


 

Christine and Mark Veenhuizen
Christine and Mark Veenhuizen,
Brentwood Accommodation.

We moved to Healesville 5 years ago to live a quiet life in the forest after running a demanding business for 17 years. Nestled along the great Bicentennial walking track of the Toolangi State Forest, we found the tranquillity of "Brentwood" irresistible.

Our quiet life here was interrupted by the 2009 bushfire. Reminders of the bushfire's devastation are with us every day. We are surrounded by burnt forest and have seen very little wildlife return.

Now our life is being interupted again by clearfell logging. It's devastating that Toolangi's unburnt forest is being clearfelled for woodchips - particularly since sustainable plantation timber is now available to meet most timber requirements. We feel a responsibility to stand up for this ecologically significant forest, habitat for the Fairy (Leadbeater's) possum and important to tourism in the Yarra Valley region.

Australian Paper needs to be reminded that the local community won't stand for unethical practices. I want my grandchildren and their children to experience the wonders of the tall trees of Toolangi, to reap the benefits of the most carbon rich forest in the world, to experience the last of cool temperate rainforest in the central highlands and to see precious wildlife in its natural environment. Just let the forest be! I would love to see the whole of the central highlands declared as a national park....so we can all live a quieter life!

 

take action today

 

Ethical Paper update.

 

Thank you so much for taking a stand to protect our native forests.

We'd love your workplace to sign the Ethical Paper Pledge.

It's easy! Have a conversation with the person who buys your office paper and encourage them to contact us to find out more.

Simply forward the link below where they can enter their details and we'll be in touch with them as soon as possible.

http://www.ethicalpaper.com.au/index.php?sign=workplace