BRUSSELS and WASHINGTON (PRIMEZONE) -- Trade associations in 39 countries representing industries accounting for 75% of the world's paper production, and more than 50% of the world's wood production, today announced the formal establishment of an international association, the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA). This newly established council will work together on issues affecting forest and paper producers around the world. The ICFPA is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to working with other stakeholders to ensure that environmental, social and economic benefits and our natural resources are available to current and future generations.
Leaders from paper associations around the world have been meeting informally since 1996, working on common positions on climate change and mutual recognition of credible forest certification schemes. Marie S. Arwidson, Director General of CEPI, Confederation of European Paper Industries, chaired the global network in 2000-2001. She stresses the importance of the global paper industry participating in UN meetings, and adopting common positions.
Already two years ago, Europe, the U.S., Canada, Japan and New Zealand co- operated on a joint brochure on climate change, which was presented at the conference of the parties on Climate change in The Hague, the Netherlands. This year, the new organisation ICFPA will be represented at the Rio+10 summit in Johannesburg in a joint event with the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Work is currently being finalised on the calculation tools on monitoring CO2 emissions and also on a global statement on illegal logging.
"The ICFPA as a global organisation can also reinforce the messages given by CEPI to the European Institutions", continues Marie S. Arwidson. "There are several positions for example on recycling and forestry which are shared globally. Experiences from different parts of the world are valuable in developing the European positions." "This is an important step," said ICFPA President W. Henson Moore (American Forest & Paper Association). " Through the ICFPA forest and paper associations from around the world will have the opportunity to work together on the global stage."
Through CEPI, 18 national associations in Europe will be represented in the ICFPA, which creates an important part of the new international Council and its activities. The main goal of the ICFPA is to serve as a forum for joint action in areas ranging from communication to data collection. The co-operation will be on international matters and on developing and promoting common positions. The ICFPA will also represent the industry in multilateral organisations and has launched its own website: www.icfpa.org
The secretariat will be rotating for two years. The US has now taken over the presidency from Europe after the formalisation of the global network, with W. Henson Moore as the ICFPA's president for the next two years.
International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA) consists of:
-- The American Forest & Paper Association
-- Forest Products Association of Canada
-- Confederation of European Paper Industries representing:
Austria: AUSTROPAPIER - Vereinigung der Osterreichischen
Papierindustrie
Belgium: COBELPA - Association des Fabricants de Pates, Papiers et
Cartons de Belgique
Czech Republic: SPPaC - Svaz Prumyslu Paporu a Celulazy
Denmark: Danish Paper, Board and Pulp Makers Association
Finland: FFIF - Finnish Forest Industries Federation
France: COPACEL - Confederation de l'Industrie Francaise des Papiers,
Cartons et Celluloses
Germany: VDP - Verband Deutscher Papierfabriken
Hungary: Federation of Hungarian Printers
Italy: ASSOCARTA - Associazione Italiana fra gli Industriali della
Carta, Cartoni e Paste per Carta
Ireland: Jefferson Smurfit Group/ Irish Paper Association
Netherlands: VNP - Vereniging van Nederlandse Papier- en
kartonfabrieken
Norway: PIL - Prosessindustriens Landsforening
Portugal: CELPA - Associacao da Industria Papeleira
Slovak Republic: ZCPP SR - Union of Pulp and Paper Industry of the
Slovak Republic
Spain: ASPAPEL -Asociacion Nacional de Fabricantes de Pastas, Papel y
Cartan
Sweden: SFIF - Swedish Forest Industries Federation
Switzerland: ZPK - Verband der Schweizerischen Zellstoff-, Papier-und
Kartonindustrie
United Kingdom: The Paper Federation of Great Britain
-- Bracelpa -- Brazilian Pulp and Paper Association
-- Associacion Nacional De Industria (Columbia)
-- Japan Paper Association
-- Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa
-- Malaysia Pulp and Paper Manufacturers Association
-- Pulp and Paper Manufacturers Federation of Australia
-- New Zealand Forest Industries Council
-- Thai Pulp and Paper Industry Association
-- Federation des Industries Forestieres des Arts Graphiques et de
l'Emballage (Morocco)
-- Association of Polish Papermakers
-- Confederation of Assoc., Enterprises and Organizations of the
Forestry Industrial Complex of the North-Western Federal Area
(Russia)
-- Corporacion Chilena de la Madera (Chile)
-- Camara Nacional de las Industrias de la Celulosa y del Papel
(Mexico)
-- Confederacion Industrial de la Celulosa y del Papel
Lationamericana (Latin America)
The Confederation of European Paper Industries
The Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) is a non-profit- making organisation, representing 18 member countries (13 European Union Member States plus Norway and Switzerland with three Associate Members, Hungary, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic). Through its member countries, CEPI also represents some 1,000 pulp, paper and board- producing companies across Europe, from small and medium-sized enterprises to multinationals.
Based in Brussels, CEPI represents the interests of the European pulp and paper industry to the European institutions. CEPI monitors and analyses EU legislation and initiatives taken at EU level in the fields of industrial, environmental, energy, forestry, recycling, and fiscal policies. It provides a forum for its members to exchange information and to act on emerging issues, to define common positions and to make expert and constructive contributions to the industry consultation process required by the European Treaties.
CEPI possesses a wide source of information on the pulp and paper industry in Europe, and, through its members, can provide information on the industry in individual Member States. It provides technical assistance to legislators, and can identify independent experts to answer specific questions. CEPI also co-ordinates several networks of European organisations along the wood and paper chain to share experiences and knowledge.
CEPI FIGURES FOR EUROPE - 2001
Woodpulp for papermaking 37.9 million tonnes -3.6% from 2000 production Paper production: Graphic Papers 43.7 million tonnes -4.0% from 2000 Packaging Papers 35.1 million tonnes -1.7% from 2000 Other grades 9.3 million tonnes -0.4% from 2000 Recovered paper use 42.0 million tonnes +0.8% from 2000 Total paper consumption 81.3 million tonnes -3.8% from 2000 Exports outside CEPI member 10.5 million tonnes +2.8% from 2000 countries Number of mills 1,063 paper mills and 222 pulp mills Employment in CEPI member 255,300 jobs countries
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