ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 21, 1995 TAG: 9512210062
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NEW YORK
SOURCE: By DAVID E. KALISH ASSOCIATED PRESS
A business group has released a sweeping proposal to cut paper use, but the biggest paper user in the group has been criticized by some environmentalists for failing to practice what it preached.
The 246-page report, released this week and printed on recycled paper, details steps for businesses and paper makers to reduce paper use, buy more recycled paper and seek alternatives to fiber bleached with potentially harmful chlorine. It was created over two years in conjunction with the Environmental Defense Fund, the Washington-based environmental group.
But the report was released as group member Time Inc., the world's largest magazine publisher, disclosed that it has backed away this year from using recycled paper because of soaring paper prices.
``The report is full of words like `encourage,' `investigate,''' said Mark Floegel, a Seattle-based spokesman for Greenpeace, another major environmental group. ``But the words are not married to action.''
The criticism reflects how economic realities can overtake business initiatives to help the environment, despite rising concern by Americans about wasteful practices by companies.
When the project was announced two years ago, the companies planned a major reassessment of their combined $2 billion in paper purchases, which are used in everything from magazines to toothbrush boxes.
The group's six members on Tuesday announced several specific steps. Johnson & Johnson, the health care products maker, switched to recycled cardboard made without chlorine bleach in boxes for Tylenol and other consumer products.
Another member, Duke University, is negotiating a deal with its supplier to buy Duke's trash paper and supply it with paper containing recycled fiber.
The Prudential Insurance Co. of America is cutting its use of paper in part by using more companywide electronic mail. McDonald's Corp., Time and others are encouraging paper mills to use sounder tree-harvesting practices, such as less clear-cutting of forests. Time is reducing distribution of magazines to newsstands in hopes of cutting down on the number of unsold copies.
But rising paper prices forced a retreat in Time Inc.'s recycling practices, one of the most closely watched aspects of the initiative.
Early this year, the publishing company ``significantly'' curbed its purchases of paper containing 10 percent recycled paper trash for Entertainment Weekly, Sunset and other magazines, said David Refkin, Time's director of paper purchasing and environmental affairs.
Time curbed its purchases because the recycled magazine paper started to cost up to 10 percent more than paper made from virgin tree pulp, he said. Time also scrapped plans to move other magazines to recycled paper.
LENGTH: Medium: 54 linesby CNB