Imagine a country in which a child can read a story about wizards that’s printed on environmentally friendly paper! Well, the U.S. is half way there. I came across an article today that left me elated and deflated. The good news: the new “Harry Potter” novel will be printed on majority FSC-certified paper (FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council). A couple of tidbits from the article:
- The paper used will contain “a minimum of 30 percent post-consumer waste (pcw) fiber.”
- Nearly two-thirds of the 16,700 tons of paper will be approved by the Forest Stewardship Council, an international organization with a mission to “promote environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world’s forests.”
- A deluxe” edition of the new book, which has a first printing of 100,000, will be printed on paper that contains “100 percent post-consumer waste fiber.”
One of the disconcerting items from the article was mention by Greenpeace forest campaign coordinator Scott Paul that “Many of the Harry Potter fans worldwide have been able to enjoy the books on FSC-certified paper, and it’s great news that Ms. Rowling’s American readers can enjoy the final installment of Harry Potter while playing a part in responsible forest management”. Well, a step forward is a step forward. No reason to harp on the past I suppose.
Another is that “In 2005, when “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” came out, Greenpeace and other environmental groups complained that Scholastic wasn’t using enough recycled paper and urged consumers to buy copies from the Canadian publisher, Raincoast Books.” Many companies are getting bitch-slapped by very powerful environmental groups these days. Hopefully these events set enough of an example for others to start being proactive.
Now if only we could recycle the religious fanatics who think books about wizards are more ludicrous than religious texts.
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