Posted on June, 23 2016

Gland, Switzerland - WWF launches the Chinese version of WWF´s global online tool “Check your Paper”, designed to support the China Sustainable Paper Alliance (CSPA) in engaging strategic market players on responsible paper products procurement and sales. The launch coincides with the RISI Asian Forest Products Summit and a panel discussion by the CSPA on the “Challenges and Opportunities for Increasing Responsible Fiber Use in Asia”.

On the direct request of the WWF-led China Sustainable Paper Alliance, parts of the online platform “checkyourpaper.panda.org” were translated into Chinese.  “Check Your Paper and especially the private Self- Check section have been successful in the US and Europe in helping suppliers demonstrate to buyers sustainability and discuss improvements,” said  Emmanuelle Neyroumande, WWF´s Global Manager Pulp and Paper . “We believe that this initiative will be very much welcomed by customers and traders of Chinese pulp and paper products all over the world. It will give importers the ability to work closely and in confidence with their Chinese suppliers.”

The Chinese Sustainable Paper Alliance (CSPA) aims to promote the development of responsibly sourced paper products in China, together with leading producers and buyers of paper products. It was founded in 2015 by WWF and the Chinese Forestry Industry Association. In a training organised by the Alliance on 20 June in Shanghai, around 70 persons from over 35 companies were supported on responsible procurement issues linked to pulp and paper and on how to eliminate and avoid illegal and controversial sources in their supply chains. How to use WWF´s online tool Check your Paper was also part of the training.

Designed for all the main pulp and paper categories, Check your Paper offers a non-public Self-Check but also allows to publish brands publicly. The basis for Check your Paper is a simple but scientifically robust method in evaluating a paper product’s footprint, developed by WWF together with scientists, paper buyers, producers and NGOs. It reduces complexity in evaluating the forest, water and climate performance of individual paper brands.
 
“Check Your Paper not only helps pulp & paper suppliers to proactively evaluate forest, climate and water performance of their products, but also provides buyers with a database to choose more environmental friendly paper products. We hope more Chinese companies can use this tool to increase the transparency of their supply chain and benefit from what they have done”, said Wenbin Huang, Forest Manager of WWF China.
 
 Founding members of the China Sustainable Paper Alliance include 11 domestic and international companies covering the whole supply chain of China's pulp and paper industry: China Paper, China's biggest state-run paper company, Sun Paper, the country's largest private paper company; the global producers Kimberly-Clark, International Paper, UPM, SIG Combibloc, Stora-Enso and Fibria, as well as buyers such as HP, Fuji Xerox and IKEA.

The pulp and paper industry in China has an enormous opportunity to positively influence global forests. Over  the  course  of  the  last  decade  China  tripled  its  paper  production  and  in 2008 became the world's biggest paper producer, increasing the importance of responsible procurement. Given the lack of domestic supply of fibre, China has become the world’s biggest importer of pulp, including from WWF Priority Places.

For further information: Helma Brandlmaier, WWF International ; +43676842728219 hbrandlmaier@wwf.panda.org;
 
 
Notes to editors
Based on the online platform Check Your Paper WWF will issue the WWF Environmental Paper Awards 2016 in November 2016.  Proactive use of WWF´s Online Self-Check is part of the Award criteria. Details on the Award can be found on wwf.panda.org/environmentalpaperaward2016