Paper industry in india

Apart from branding my project also includes understanding the printing medium and suggesting optimal options for the brand that envision environmental restoration.

So apart from contacting printing houses that include eco sensitive printing in their portfolio, i also need to understand the impact of the paper industry on our environment.

My source of information for now is the Indian Paper manufacturers Association.

Currently Indian paper industry is consuming only about 7 million MT or about 3% of the total wood consumed in India; about 90% is consumed as fuel wood.

Additional raw material requirement by 2012-13 is anticipated to be about 8 million tons of wood which will be about 6% of total consumption of the country. This would require afforesting 2 million Ha of land mass to maintain proper ecological balance.

After speaking to Pragati and how they are adhering to the Forest Stweardship standards, i was wondering if it is a wide spread practice for the paper production industry to live up to these standards and obtain these certificates. Apparently not

Along with fuel deficiency and government policy, the link:

http://www.ipma.co.in/paper_industry_concerns.asp

explains why it is difficult for the farmers involved in social/farm forestry to group and obtain the FSC certificate for their produce. Though the farm forestry is a sustainable model promoted by the paper industry, the FSC principles and criterions are difficult to satisfy. IPMA is monitoring the move set afoot by the Government of India to establish Indian Forest Stewardship Council to help the process of certification.

Also apparently efforts are being made to thwart myths like the paper industry perpetually uses forest raw material and consequently denudes natural forests of the country. Over the last decade, industry led farm/social forestry have(apparently) brought around 0.25 million hectares under pulp wood plantations, mainly degraded marginal lands of farmers. At the current estimate, wood based segment of the industry uses 80 per cent of the total requirement from farm produced wood. In particular, IPMA member mills have been actively promoting agro forestry with private land holders/farmers to meet imminent raw material needs in a sustainable manner thereby, positively impacting the Greening India mission of the Government. Also, the industry initiative has created major employment in the remote areas in close proximity to the manufacturing facilities thereby, helping rural development.