Paper

Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) is celebrating after an official report by the European Commission ruled that a number of its key products meet the criteria required for the EU Ecolabel.

The controversial paper manufacturer's Golden Plus and Lucky Boss brands were awarded the Ecolabel flower logo in 2006; prompting criticism from the environmental group FERN in its paper EU Ecolabel allows forest destruction.

French firm AFNOR carried out the audit (the same firm which originally awarded the Ecolabel to the two brands) a summary of which is available here, although the full report has not been made available.

The European Commission stated: "The audit clearly proves that there was a full compliance with the criteria of the EU Ecolabel for copying and graphic paper valid at that time, especially on criterion three - sustainable forest management."

APP managing director Aida Greenbury told PrintWeek that the result was a positive move for Europe, due to the decreasing production coming out of the continent.

She said: "By 2020 it has been projected that Europe will be facing a shortage of 210m tonnes of wood across all sectors so we believe markets like Indonesia will be increasingly important in the global pulp and paper industry.

"Growth in Europe is important to us as we strive to expand our global footprint in a responsible manner. We market our products in more than 120 countries across six continents and we need to respect and comply to our market countries' requirement and vice versa.

"We hope this in-depth audit reassures our customers and consumers that our production facilities and forest management systems of our suppliers are socially and environmentally sustainable."