Kimberley Seedy
Lilydale & Yarra Valley Leader, 2 May 2011
YARRA Ranges Council is encouraging consumers and other councils to follow their lead in boycotting Reflex paper.
Councillors agreed last week to sign the Ethical Paper Pledge to encourage consumers of paper not to buy Reflex until its makers stop using native forest timber pulp in their products.
At last week’s meeting, Cr Samantha Dunn proposed the council support the ban.
The campaign against Reflex, started by the Wilderness Society in February, encourages organisations to sign a pledge “to protect Melbourne’s water supply, prevent the extinction of iconic species, and halt the daily release of large amounts of carbon dioxide in Victoria’s forests”.
Cr Dunn said the decision would have no financial impact on the council because it did not use Reflex.
But Cr Chris Templer said it wasn’t appropriate to target a specific company.
Cr Len Cox backed the campaign, saying: “The fact that old growth forests are being logged at all is a disgrace.”
Australian Paper, manufacturer of Reflex, has started a website defending its practices.
It states more than half of total fibre needs are met from plantation wood, recycled pulp and wastepaper from kerbside collections, and the rest is sourced through VicForests, a State Government enterprise responsible for the sustainable harvest and commercial sale of wood from state forests.
Do you agree with Yarra Ranges decision to ban Reflex paper?
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