EU consumption of forest products 		 

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As a consumer, the EU's impact on forests is felt globally: it is one of the biggest consumers of timber, and specifically pulp and paper products. In 1998, the EU's consumption of paper products amounted to 196kg per person per year or a total of 73.3m tonnes, compared to 334 kg per person per year in the US or 3.8 per person per year in India. Mirroring the worldwide North-South divide in resource consumption, the top consumer countries within the EU are the northern Member States, while consumption levels are significantly lower in the southern Member States.

Table: Apparent per capita Paper Consumption in the EU (1996-97).

1 Finland 331.9
2 Belgium* 300.7
3 Sweden 274.3
4 Denmark 220.6
5 Netherlands 217.9
6 U.K. 208.3
7 Austria 201.6
8 Germany 192.1
9 France 175.9
10 Italy 158.7
11 Luxembourg 158.3
12 Spain 140.5
13 Ireland 110.2
14 Portugal 92.2
15 Greece 87.8
* The figure for Belgium is inflated by the excessive paper consumption of the EU
Source: Martin v. Mirbach: Worldwide Paper Consumption and Discussion Points.1999.

 

In spite of recycling initiatives, a vast amount of pulp and paper products still go to waste within the EU. The aggressive marketing of short-life, disposable products, the growing importance of packaging in the consumer marketplace and the proliferation of junk mail and advertising all contribute to the ever increasing demand for paper.

Despite overwhelming evidence of the link between waste and forest destruction – a recent survey in Germany found that around 98% of secondary packaging was unnecessary – the EU has shown little initiative to adopt measures to reduce the amount of waste or promote a sustainable use of wood and paper products. Consequently, overall levels of consumption continue to be excessive and damaging in themselves: current levels of consumption of paper products are set to rise by 2.8% per year from 1998 to 2015. The gains made through recycling and switching to credibly certified products are more than offset by those increases in consumption.

An article by FERN on Forests and the EU describes the EU competence on forest within Europe and the impact of aid and trade policies outside the EU.