Portland State has been purchasing all of the paper towels the university uses from major paper producer Kimberly Clark, which has been accused of using wood from old-growth forests to produce its products.
Kimberly Clark, the paper giant that produces such products as Kleenex brand tissues and Scott brand paper towels, has recently come under pressure from nonprofit environmental organization Greenpeace and company shareholders for alleged unsustainable practices.
According to Greenpeace, Kimberly Clark has allegedly been clear-cutting large portions of Canada’s Boreal Forest to supply its paper production plants with virgin paper fiber. The Boreal Forest is the largest area of old-growth forest left in North America.
Old-growth forests are typically ancient forests that have been untouched by clear-cutting or fire. The Boreal Forest comprises 25 percent of the earth’s remaining ancient forests, according to Greenpeace.
Greenpeace has launched a campaign against Kimberly Clark, rallying several companies to terminate their contracts with the company, and has staged protests at the company’s headquarters in an effort to convince them to change their practices.
“I don’t think we have a contract with them,” said Dresden Skees-Gregory, PSU’s sustainability coordinator. “I think if we could find a reasonably priced alternative, that’s something we would consider.”
PSU purchases Kimberly Clark’s product through a supplier named Unisource, and does not have a binding contract with the company.
The product PSU purchases is one of Kimberly Clark’s recycled products and is composed of 70 percent post-consumer, non-bleached materials.
Although the product is recycled, Gregory said she thinks that supporting Kimberly Clark is not compatible with PSU’s sustainability initiatives.
“Why should PSU pay Kimberly Clark to destroy beautiful Canadian old-growth forests, similar to the forests that surround our beloved state of Oregon, to use as toiletries?” said PSU student and Greenpeace member Christopher Riedl.
Gregory was not aware of the boycott against Kimberly Clark and said that she will speak with custodial coordinator Joseph Dahmen about finding an alternative product.
John Eckman, associate director of auxiliary services, was also unaware of the issue.
“This is the first I’ve heard of this controversy and I would absolutely look into it,” Eckman said. “Anytime we can reduce environmental impact we try to do that.”
Eckman said it is sometimes hard to find the most environmentally friendly products, such as in this case, where even though the product is recycled, the company is not sustainable.
“It’s tough to find what is the least-impact way,” Eckman said.
PSU currently purchases Kimberly Clark’s Scott brand hard-roll recycled paper towels through Unisource. Unisource does not currently sell any other brand of recycled, non-bleached paper towels, according to their catalog. It would be necessary for PSU to switch to a different distributor to buy a different brand and still purchase recycled paper towels.