North American Mills Given Lifeline

STRONG DEMAND DOUBLES NUMBER OF ENVIRONMENTAL PAPERS IN 18 MONTHS

VANCOUVER, Feb. 3 /CNW/ - The number of printing and writing environmental papers produced in North America has more than doubled from 97 to 228 in the past 18 months according to information released by Canopy, an environmental non-profit organization that works to improve the environmental performance of paper and wood companies. The sharp increase in ecopaper options is the result of large paper buyers demanding more papers with ecological attributes, a growing trend despite recent troubles in the North American paper industry.

"We're witnessing a marked shift where green demand is steering paper production towards ecofriendly options, giving a life line to mills and a future for our endangered forests and species," said Nicole Rycroft, Executive Director of Canopy.

Canopy's ecopaper database tracks the quality of all papers and rates them so that consumers can be informed of the best ecological options.

For more information and statements from leading mills Cascades and New Page, click here: http://canopyplanet.org/index.php?page=press-releases

For further information: Nicole Rycroft, Executive Director: [phone]