Recycled Paper Scam in Japan

CONSERVATIONISTS are accusing the owners of the Eden chipmill of using local woodchips to make paper they subsequently passed off as recycled.

Chipstop spokesperson Harriett Swift says the Nippon Paper Group has admitted to lying about the percentage of recycled paper in its products since 1992.

“Nippon Paper president, Mr Masatomo Nakamura, has said he will resign to take responsibility for the scandal, but has so far refused to set a date,” she said.

Ms Swift says the matter has been a major scandal in Japan with the Nippon Paper share price falling by more than 25 per cent in two weeks.

“Nippon Paper is the majority shareholder of South East Fibre Exports and principal buyer of Eden woodchips,” she said.

“Last week the Fuji Xerox Company in Japan announced it will stop selling ‘recycled’ copy and printer paper made by Nippon Paper.Canon Marketing Japan Inc., Konica Minolta Holdings Inc and Ricoh soon followed suit.”

“Japan has a law requiring the central and local governments to take into account environmental protection when making purchases and this was clearly the reason for the 15 years of lying,” Ms Swift said.

“Nippon Paper has admitted that copy paper it claimed to be 100 per cent recycled in fact contained only 59 per cent recycled paper.Notebook paper claiming to be 80 per cent was only 35 per cent and printing paper supposedly 70 per cent recycled was only 50 per cent.”

“As well as Nippon Paper, four other paper mills ¬Oji Paper Co, Daio Paper Corp, Mitsubishi Paper Mills Ltd and Hokuetsu Paper Mills Ltd ¬have all admitted to the same offence.”

“All of these companies have also bought chips from Eden at various times,” Ms Swift said.

She said Mr Nakamura was reported to have said that the company falsified recycled paper ratios to make its products look more environmentally friendly.

“With over a million tonnes of woodchips leaving Eden last year, most of it to Nippon Paper, it is impossible to believe that no Eden woodchips have ended up in falsely labeled products.”

“It is bad enough that this company destroys so much of our forests, but to then lie about its products to conceal the extent of its native forest woodchip use is totally unacceptable,” she said.
（Source:Bega District News)