Portucel Soporcel announces support for ‘Two Sides’ initiative

The UK's National Association of Paper Merchants (NAPM) has announced Portucel Soporcel, a European manufacturer of uncoated fine paper, as its latest sponsor to join the growing number of industry organizations that have committed their support to ‘Two Sides’, the initiative launched in October 2008 to address the common misconceptions surrounding paper and the environment. 

Expressing his support for the project, Antnio Redondo, executive director at Portucel Soporcel, said: ‘We’re delighted to support “Two Sides” as this initiative perfectly supports our group’s business which is based on a cycle of sustainable development, and we look forward to our cooperation with ‘Two Sides’ which I believe is an industry-wide initiative which is completely necessary.

‘All our products come from forests managed with the strictest respect for the environment, with all the wood coming from controlled sources, and are manufactured using natural, renewable energies. The environmental performance of our mills reflects large-scale, permanent investments in the best available environmental techniques. Between 2000 and 2007, the group’s investment in environment protection projects amounted to some 270 million euros.

‘Within the companys sustainable solutions, we should highlight our paper with certified virgin fiber, eco-efficient options of lower basis weights and the options which combine new and recycled fiber. Our corporate responsibility is therefore present in our products and paper brands.’

Alistair Gough, NAPM president, confirmed that the participation of Portucel Soporcel completes the list of major European Groups which have joined the Initiative. ‘“Two Sides” is clearly gathering momentum, and we are extremely excited about working with our supporters to move the initiative forward over the coming months,’ said Gough.

The first meeting of the Print and Paper Sustainability Group, who will take over responsibility for the management of ‘Two Sides’, will take place in January 2009. Martyn Eustace, who is heading the project, said: ‘We’ve got a great bunch of experienced people drawn from all sectors of our industry, and I’m confident we can quickly demonstrate the sustainability of the sector and tell people about the tremendous efforts the industry is taking to further reduce its environmental impact.’

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