The Canadian Paper and Paper-based Packaging industry is among the most sustainable industries in the world, but there are still significant gaps between public perceptions and fact when it comes to related environmental topics such as forestry, greenhouse gas emissions and recycling. A recent survey by Two Sides, an initiative that promotes sustainable and responsible paper production, found that Canadian consumers rank pulp and paper products as a leading cause of deforestation – which they are not. In a recently released fact sheet, Two Sides provides facts from credible sources that set the record straight:
• Deforestation is defined as the conversion of forest to
other land uses whether human-induced or not. The definition specifically excludes areas where trees have been removed as a result of harvesting or logging and where the forest is expected to regenerate naturally or with the aid of sustainable forest management measures. – UN Food and Agriculture Organization, 2020
• At the end of 2019, Canada had over 168 million hect-
ares of independently certified forest land (to either CSA, SFI or FSC). Nearly half of Canada’s forests are certified and 37 percent of all certified forests worldwide are in Canada, the largest area of any country. – Natural Resources Canada, 2020
• Between 2007 and 2017, the forest sector reduced en-
ergy use by 24 percent and total fossil GHG emissions by 40 percent. – Natural Resources Canada, 2020
• Canada recycles almost 70 percent of its paper and
cardboard, making it among the top paper recycling countries in the world. – Forest Products Association of Canada, 2020
