Is the Paper Task Force a paper tiger? - Environmental Defense Fund group investigating technical and economic issues regarding ecologically safe paper

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Oct 1, 1993 by Paul McDougall, Mona Alice Jean Newman

A decidedly modest proposal by some of the nation's biggest paper purchasers--including Time Inc.--to study ways of spurring demand for Earth-friendly products has split the publishing industry.

The plan is drawing raves from those who see it as an important symbol of industry/activist cooperation on an issue more often marked by bitter confrontation. Others claim its objectives are too vague to be of real import.

The debate was sparked by New York City-based Environmental Defense Fund's announcement in August that it had created an alliance of six leading purchasers to study technical and economic issues surrounding the use of ecologically safe paper. The group-dubbed the Paper Task Force--says it will issue a public report in 12 to 18 months.

In addition to EDF and Time Inc., Task Force includes McDonald's Corp., The Prudential, Johnson & Johnson, NationsBank and Duke University. Some paper manufacturers will take part informally.

EDF economist John Ruston says the group will, among other things, evaluate ways in which chlorine-free paper and paper containing high levels of recycled fiber can be manufactured in sufficient quantities at sufficiently competitive prices and quality levels to satisfy purchasers like Time Inc.

But the task force's impact is debatable. Ruston says he is confident that any signal from the likes of Time Inc., which purchased 250,000 tons of paper last year, that it is willing to increase its purchases of recycled paper should prod hesitant manufacturers into capital investments needed to produce large quantities of such paper at affordable prices.

And other backers say that by including rather than confronting big business, the EDF can avoid expensive and time-wasting court and legislative battles. "It's an extremely valuable and helpful approach," says Allen Hershkowitz, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council in New York City.

But skeptics note that the final report, by the task force's own admission, will be non-binding on members. They therefore question the group's efficacy and, in some cases, its motivation. "We've already had 15 years of studying this issue," says Alan Davis, president of Conservatree Paper Co., a San Francisco-based distributor that specializes in recycled printing paper. "This just creates a credible excuse for not doing anything."

Davis and others note that Time Inc. and other large publishers have publicly supported the paper industry in its opposition to the rigid content standards that the White House appears ready to impose on governmental purchases of recycled paper. Papermakers fear that if those standard spill over to the private sector, as many expect, they would prove onerous to manufacturers and purchasers.

Skeptics suggest that some Task Force participants hope to blunt regulatory action by giving the impression that they are already taking steps to speed recycling. Several major publishers contacted for this story declined to go on record, but all said they were involved in environmental programs, either through the Magazine Publishers of America, paper industry groups or their own companies.

More significantly, it's not just small-niche players questioning the plan. Officials at some major mills say the task force's report is not likely to affect their manufacturing or investment decisions. "Even if they end up saying, |Sure, we'll pay more for recycled paper,' will they really?" asks John Murtagh, director of recycling programs at Purchase, New York-based International Paper. "Remember, ad pages are down, so who wants to pay a premium for paper?"

Despite all the doubts, Task Force members insist that their cooperative approach to conservation will yield tangible, if not dramatic, results. "You have to crawl before you can walk," says David Refkin, director of environmental affairs and assistant director of paper purchasing at Time Inc.

Refkin notes that his company last year purchased 40,000 tons of recycled paper. "Time Inc. is serious about the environment," says Refkin, adding that the publishing giant chose to participate in the Task Force because "EDF has a proven track record."