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Cottonsoft, Greenpeace toilet paper row continues

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Fri, 02 Dec 2011 1:06p.m.

Greenpeace has refused to meet with Cottonsoft

Greenpeace has refused to meet with Cottonsoft

A row over what goes into Cottonsoft toilet rolls shows no sign of abating after a grocery lobby accused Greenpeace of a politically motivated campaign.

Greenpeace has called for New Zealanders to boycott Cottonsoft toilet paper claiming it contains Indonesian rainforest fibres but the company behind the brand rejects its accusations.

Cottonsoft's parent company, Indonesian paper giant Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), says its products are made from Asian plantation sources and questioned the tests carried out on the toilet paper.

But Greenpeace stands by its claims saying that evidence from a test at a German lab showed the toilet tissue contained rainforest fibres, and concluded the wood had been logged from Indonesian rainforests, home to the threatened Sumatran tiger.

Greenpeace NZ executive director Bunny McDiarmid in an opinion piece in Friday's Dominion Post accuses APP of misleading the public and of the destruction of Indonesian rainforest.

She also took issue with the Food and Grocery Council (FCG) defending the company.

But FCG chief executive Katherine Rich hit back, saying Greenpeace has refused to meet with Cottonsoft and was more intent on political campaigning.

"If Greenpeace was genuinely interested in effecting positive change then surely meeting face to face was the best way to achieve this.

"The continued preference to attack from afar rather than engage with its victims speaks volumes about Greenpeace's true motivation," she said in a statement.

Ms Rich is in Indonesia on a fact-finding trip sponsored by APP and denied she was being overly influenced by the company.

"This trip provides the opportunity to get answers and information. I have absolutely no doubt that tough questions will be asked," Ms Rich said.

Cottonsoft was once New Zealand-owned but was bought out in 2007 by APP, the world's fifth largest paper manufacturer.

NZN

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Comments

05 Mar 2012 10:19a.m.

Matt wrote:

Perhaps Hillary Green should provide some evidence to back up her wildly convenient accusations? Some people obviously like to jump on the "hippy-bashing" bandwagon, discard all evidence and make ad hominem attacks on GP rather than discussing the evidence critically. A political lobby group? Are they doing this for the benefit of the Green Party? Something tells me that such an assertion is nothing short of ridiculous and lacks the backing of any evidence whatsoever. If scientific analysis has demonstrated that Indonesian tropical hardwood has been found in products, as well as species that are not grown on plantations, it is very clear that APP are not telling the truth. It is very convenient of the FCG to stand up for the company, one of the same companies of which sees them turn a yearly profit. Here we have a substantiated conflict of interest between the FCG and CottonSoft - thus far no conflict of interest between GreenPeace and independent laboratories in Germany, huh? Why meet with a company who, similarly to SeaLord, refuse to acknowledge the science base and instead have a policy of denial regardless of the evidence against them. SeaLord claim that because they do not use endangered Tuna species, turtles, dolphins etc. in their product that therefore their mode of operation is fine. They discount the fact that their FAD's and PSN's entrap such endangered species, which are then discarded dead into the ocean so that SL can claim that these species are not used in their product. Sure, they do not use these species in their product, but their method of catchment is debilitating and killing such endangered species and their environments. What does it matter if you use the species in your product after you've already done this? There is no point in having meetings with irresponsible corporations who wish to manipulate the science and escape responsibility rather than formulate solutions.

02 Dec 2011 10:01p.m.

Hillary Green wrote:

Oh come on Longtact, it's abundantly clear that Greenpeace is a political lobby group and this is just another campaign so those long haired hippies can stand on the side of the road with their clipboards and try to convince people to make a donation to make them feel as though their saving the world. As for Rich and the fact that she was an MP for National - so what? At least she went to Indonesia to have a look for herself - probably more than what Greenpeace NZ has ever done. What would be good if she actually had a chance to tell us what she found out about APP. For Greenpeace to conveniently have an opinion piece in the paper while this fact finding trip was taking place and it would be a massive surprise for them not to know it was happening)is a cynical attempt to manipulate public opinion. Good on her for standing up the the Greenpeace bullies.

02 Dec 2011 03:40p.m.

Longtack wrote:

"Companies who have had cut ties with APP on environmental grounds include Office Depot, Wal-Mart, Staples, Ricoh, and is followed more recently by Australian retailer Woolworths Ltd." That's a quote from a reputable organisation, and I welcome Katherine Rich to challenge it. Greenpeace Politically motivated?! How so? Wasn't Ms Rich an office-holder in the NZ National Party? Even assuming that the product coming from plantation forests may be true, but these groves of mainly acacia were created from areas of milled rainforest. Give me morality over bucks any day, and that's another reason to distrust Rich and APP. So why is she defending APP? What's the big deal about Cottonsoft over all the other paper? APP has a stink record and why on earth we NZers want to pay for imported dunny paper beats me - no matter what the $ cost. Give me "down-home" rough and reliable local paper for local bums. :D

02 Dec 2011 03:08p.m.

Longtack wrote:

"Companies who have had cut ties with APP on environmental grounds include Office Depot, Wal-Mart, Staples, Ricoh, and is followed more recently by Australian retailer Woolworths Ltd." That's a quote from a reputable organisation, and I welcome Katherine Rich to challenge it. Politically motivated?! Wasn't Ms Rich an office-holder in the NZ National Party? The point APP makes about the product coming from plantation forests may be true, but these groves of mainly acacia were created from areas of milled rainforest. Give me morality over bucks any day, and that's another reason to distrust Rich and APP. APP has a stink record and why on earth we NZers want to pay for imported dunny paper beats me - no matter what the $ cost.