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Frankfurt, 27th January 2005 deutsche Version... Resorts: Environment / Economy Paper company destroys tropical forests in Asia ROBIN WOOD-Protest at the trade fair PAPERWORLD in Frankfurt ROBIN WOOD today, on the occasion of the biggest office trade fair PAPERWORLD in Frankfurt, demanded trade and consumers to avoid paper from rainforest destruction. The environmental organization critizes especially strongly pulp and paper company Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), which has a stand at the fair. The company, with headquarters in Singapore, destroys in Sumatra alone about 15 football fields of rainforests every hour for the production of pulp for paper. In a joint statement with environmental organizations from South East Asia ROBIN WOOD demands governments, banks and companies to have no more business with APP. In front of the doors of the trade fair ROBIN WOOD activists made visitors aware of their concerns with photographs, posters, flyers and a large banner with the slogan „Paper companies are clear cutting Sumatra“. In their statement the environmental organizations present a long list of scandals, for which APP is responsible. Despite APP´s promises, the company continues to destroy huge areas of tropical forests in South East Asia. In Sumatra APP has destroyed about 300.000 hectares of rainforest. So far the company cannot prove that no illegally logged wood is used for the production of its paper. In Yunnan province in the south of China APP, in apparent breach of the law, has destroyed tens of thousands of hectares of species rich forests to plant monocultures of eucalyptus trees. In Cambodia a sister firm of APP called Green Elite started to log inside Botum Sakor National Park and has cleared hundreds of hectares of mangrove forest. APP is also involved in one of the biggest financial scandals in Asia. „APP has discredited itself internationally“, says Jens Wieting, ROBIN WOOD´s rainforest expert. „Trade, governments and the financial world should break off all business relationships with APP, until the illegal activities come to an end and the company is held accountable. ROBIN WOOD has through its paper campaign convinced Karstadt, Deutsche Post and the Metro Group, not to sell paper from companies that destroy the rainforest in Sumatra. The alternative to forest destruction and paper waste is simple: save paper and use recycled paper. Recycled paper does not destroy forests, in ist production it needs less energy and water than fresh fibre paper and recycled paper complies with the quality standards for use in printers and photo copiers. For further questions please contact: Jens Wieting and Peter Gerhardt, ROBIN WOOD´s Tropical Forest Experts, Ph: +49 40 380 892 15, tropenwald@robinwood.de Ute Bertrand, Press Spokesperson, Ph: +49 40 380 892 22, presse@robinwood.de The joint statement against APP and further information about the environmental scandals of APP and APRIL are available here, at www.robinwood.de/urwaldpapier and appwatch.blogspot.com photo: ROBIN WOOD ...more photos