AUSTRALIA'S largest supermarket chain, Woolworths, is marketing some of its tissue and paper products as environmentally responsible even though the paper is imported from Indonesia, a country with one of the world's worst records for illegal and unsustainable logging.

It also appears to be sourcing at least some of the paper from Asia Pulp and Paper, an Indonesian company with what green groups have described as an appalling environment and human rights reputation......

Full story - http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/iss...7462354358.html

I think this could well be an example of the inappropriate use of environmental labelling and the sort of thing that should be jumped on before legitimate accreditation and labelling is affected by customer confidence.

- Stephen

...and today it seems that Woolies have had a bit of a turn-around on admitting their position on the tissues:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/admiss...7462523646.html

I was thinking last night that this is a very interesting example of how "we" as a larger society are starting to demand more of our product suppliers. Not defending Woolies, but they are surely not the only large retailer who are dabbling in this type of fraud. I wonder what the trigger behind the Woolies tissues being "outed" was??

Yes, agree. Maybe it was a whistleblower?

A few months ago, I was really pleased to see Coles stocking "Safe" brand tissues. I was so excited not to be supporting Kleenex or any of the other brands, I bought several boxes. This time when I looked for them, they were gone from the shelves. I'd really like to see big supermarket chains forced to give consumers an ethical choice that was not their own brand (not that Coles has an ethical own brand tissue product).

I find it strange in a time of growing environmental awareness that less ethical products seem to be available than ever. What's the go? Has anyone else noticed this?

I guess if we had that 'environmental labelling/packaging system' (along those lines) in the thread started by Stephen and already under discussion, that this situation may not/could not have occurred.

Or at least consumers would have been aware of what they are buying.

I'm not sure, but as far as I can guess - 'unbleached' products would be more environmentally-friendly?

And here's another one! I bought a couple of those 'cubic' boxes of tissues from a '$2 shop' or whatever some time ago. Guess what? I got to the bottom of the box and found an inverted piece of cardboard (in a 'v' shape) at the bottom taking up a fair amount of where tissues should have been.

Also, I've learned that great prices on packs toilet rolls are not always exactly what they seem if you look at the number of sheets on a roll! I do like my creature comforts and there are now only two brands of toilet tissues I buy now. That, combined with the number of sheets per roll. When those packs come on special I buy them, even if I've already got enough.

Sneaky practices is all I can say.

Combined with a news report earlier this week that the coupons at the bottom of your docket from Coles and Woolies to buy petrol at cheaper prices are a big con (which I agree with) as the costs are absorbed into the shelf price of the product. Collusion between the supermarkets and the two major oil companies, forcing out smaller competitors.

Supermarket giant Woolworths has pulled its own brand of imported Indonesian tissue products from shelves over allegations their packaging makes misleading environmental claims.

The move comes after The Sydney Morning Herald revealed last week that Woolworths was using a "Sustainable Forest Fibre" logo on its premium home brand "Select" range of tissue and paper products, with claims they were "from a certified environmentally managed company that is environmentally, socially and economically responsible", even though timber industry and environment organisations had never heard of "Sustainable Forest Fibre"....

Full story - http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/woolwo...8067008764.html

Here here. This is community action at its best. (If I understand the situation correctly - and always a little skeptical about stuff that comes from the media outlets).

Dunno why anyone bothers with tissues anyway. If you're concerned about the environment, use handkerchiefs.

good point battlecrumpet!

LOL - for a second there I thought "euwwwww", as in YUK!! I thought, use hankerchiefs to wipe your bum??? But then they are talking about ALL tissues aren't they!!

My confusion lays with the fact that I buy environmentally friendly toilet paper but don't buy tissues as I use hankies instead.

Many moons ago I used to buy the soft tissues (with aloe vera I think) made by a very prominent tissue manufacturer, but then I heard that company used old growth forest wood for their tissues. That put a quick stop to that.

Hahaha now you've got me thinking about toilet paper and the environment - made me think that to be really environmentally conscious, women should drip dry like the blokes

Maybe I should write to ACF and suggest they include a question about this pressing issue in their environmental footprint quiz

heeeheeehee - we could call it the wiggle and drip!

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