This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Los sectores papelero y forestal, contra el cambio climático

Within the framework of the meeting of ICFPA in Shanghai

The paper and forestry sectors against climate change

Drafting QU29/11/2007

ás of 70 representatives of sector associations of industries of the paper and forestry and management of some of the major companies in both sectors, gathered at the II CEO Roundtable of ICFPA (International Council of forest and paper associations) held in Shanghaithey have examined the contribution of these sectors to the mitigation of climate change, contained in document Sustainability Progress Update (available at www.icfpa.org).

This first Sustainability Progress Update submitted by ICFPA in Shanghai picks up the paper and forestry sectors advances in its commitment to the continuous improvement of sustainability, formalized in 2006 with the Declaration signed at the meeting of ICFPA in Rome. This first report describes the progress achieved in terms of sustainability through different initiatives: investing in forest certification, participating in initiatives to protect the forests from illegal logging, assuming ambitious recycling targets...

ICFPA will edit every two years this document with updated information on the actions of the paper and forestry sectors at the global level as regards the field of sustainability.

The paper and forestry sectors are aware of the importance of their role in the fight against climate change to which contribute through sustainable forest management, with products from wood, which are real warehouses of carbonthrough recycling, and with innovative solutions and eco-efficiency in the production process, allowing to reduce the emissions of these industries.

Crops of wood for paper, CO2 sink

Wood of fast-growing species is used to make paper (in Spain mainly eucalyptus and pine), which is grown for this purpose in forest plantations, which are and remain for this use. In Spain, thanks to the paper production, they exist and are kept 400,000 hectares of woodland of pine and eucalyptus (2 per cent of the total area of forests).

The plantations of fast-growing, because of this peculiar characteristic species, are major CO2 sinks and help to curb climate change. Recent studies show that once the forest reaches maturity, it leaves to fix carbon, so these productive plantations are an environmental opportunity: the 400,000 hectares in Spain for the production of timber for the paper industry account for 7.5 million tonnes of CO2 fixation, around 2 per cent of the total emissions resulting in the country.

Carbon stocks is not released with the cut of the tree, but that remains in forest products. For example, in the books, the role is stored for decades - and generations - in our libraries. A kilo of paper stores 1.3 kilos of C02.

Paper recycling reduces landfill and emissions they produce: 4.6 million tons of waste paper recovered for recycling annually in Spain represent a saving of volume in landfill equivalent to 46 large full football as the Bernabeu or Camp Nou stadiums up top and a saving of landfill emissions 4.1 million tonnes of CO2 (more than 1 per cent of the total emissions resulting in the country).

ICFPA, organization belongs Aspapel, via Cepi (European Confederation of paper industries), represents the industry from 43 countries, including 90 percent of the global paper sector and over 50 per cent of the global forest sector.

Clean technologies

The industry used 91% of fuels clean as natural gas (62%) or renewable as the residual biomass of the process of manufacturing (29 percent). And it produces around 50% of the renewable energy with biomass-generated in Spain.

The paper industry is one of the big drivers in Spain of cogeneration, energy fine-tuning, a system that produces both electricity and thermal energy for industrial use, with very high performance, so it saves primary energy and reduces emissions. The sector produced by cogeneration 2, 0By % of total electricity produced in Spain and it is a leader, with 18 per cent of the national cogeneration.