The prohibition of single-use plastic products is crucial to Canada’s plan of achieving zero plastic waste by 2030, but with the ban, environmentalists are growing increasingly concerned about the amount of paper packaging being used in its place. “We absolutely need to shift away from using plastics as much as we do, but trading in plastic pollution for deforestation and forest degradation is not the answer,” Canopy founder and executive director Nicole Rycroft told CTV News. “We really need to make sure we do not create another environmental disaster.” Rycroft’s not-for-profit organization works to protect the world’s forests by helping companies like Walmart and H&M ensure their packaging doesn’t rely on paper and is environmentally friendly.
DAYTON, Ohio – As U.S. consumers become increasingly aware of the environmental impacts of the products they use every day, there remains a wide gap between perception and reality when it comes to the sustainability of paper products – but the gap has narrowed over the past two years. Overall, 44% of consumers believe paper products are bad for the environment, down from 48% in 2021. …Paper use is often blamed for forest loss, and 55% of those surveyed believe U.S. forests are shrinking, an improvement over 2021, when 60% of consumers said they believe U.S. forest area is decreasing. …According to the survey, only 12% of consumers know the U.S. recycling rate exceeds 60%, up from 11% in 2021. Four in 10 consumers believe the paper recycling rate is less than 30%. 
Three years ago … the B.C. government … began planning how to … [use] wood as the structural skeleton for tall buildings instead of traditional cement and steel. It was a lofty goal that’s being emulated in cities around the world. To do it, B.C. created the Office of Mass Timber Implementation (OMTI), the first government office in the world with a broad and powerful mandate to make it easier to build with mass timber — a catch-all term that encompasses a variety of engineered products made up of smaller pieces of wood often held together with adhesives. But documents obtained by CBC News … show the OMTI was so concerned about public discussion of so-called “tall wood” buildings — those higher than six storeys — that it barred municipalities from building them unless they guaranteed their local fire officials would be aligned with planning and building departments regarding any concerns they might have, including fire risks.
TORONTO — Nine outstanding wood projects from across Ontario were celebrated at the 23rd annual Ontario Wood WORKS! Awards Night. The awards program honours the people and organizations that, through design excellence, advocacy, and innovation, are advancing the use of wood in all types of construction. Ontario Wood WORKS! presented the nine awards at a reception held at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, an event hosted in conjunction with the Ontario Forest Industries’ 80th AGM. “It is a privilege to recognize Ontario’s wood design leaders through our Wood Design Awards program,” said Steven Street, executive director of Ontario Wood WORKS!. “Collectively, the winning projects this year shine a light on the role that wood construction can play in addressing some of the larger challenges facing society today, notably housing supply, sustainability, and a shortage of skilled trades.”
As more brand owners switch from plastic to paper-based packaging to boost sustainability, the paper-packaging market is changing. The moving parts include not only demand for paper packaging but also pandemic-related changes in consumer behavior and supply chain issues. Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies and their packaging suppliers are keeping an eye on those market dynamics and also on environmental issues such as climate change and wildfires, which could potentially affect raw material supplies needed for manufacturing paper packaging. Corporate sustainability goals are a primary motivator in the shift from plastic to paper. …The content of paper packaging — specifically recycled fiber or virgin fiber from forests certified as responsibly or sustainably managed — is an important consideration for brand owners making the switch from plastic to paper. …So is there enough certified fiber available to meet growing demand?
Think Wood News this month includes:
AMSTERDAM — New data reveals that demand for products in sustainable packaging continues to increase. The 
A bill advancing rapidly toward a final vote in the Alaska Legislature is expected to cheapen the cost of Alaska-made lumber for housing projects. Senate Bill 87, by Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, passed through the House Finance Committee on Thursday with unanimous bipartisan support and could receive the approval of the full House as early as next week. It passed the Senate, 16-0, on Wednesday. If approved by the House and Gov. Mike Dunleavy, the bill would set up an in-state quality testing system for lumber produced by Alaska sawmills. Currently, that lumber must be tested and graded by a national standards organization. …Under the new legislation, the University of Alaska Fairbanks would hire a teacher who would train sawmill operators to self-test their wood. Those wood products would be restricted for use in single-family homes, duplexes or triplexes. An independent building inspector would verify the quality of the lumber.
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