Stop AbitibiBowater from Destroying Ancient Forests

AbitibiBowater, which formed out of a merger of Abitibi-Consolidated and Bowater  is logging and fragmenting the last remaining intact forest areas of Ontario and Quebec – areas which are crucial for fighting climate change. The company is destroying the critical habitat of threatened woodland caribou. Less than 36,000 boreal woodland caribou remain in Canada and most of these are now found outside of the commercial forest zone of the country.

Less than 30% of AbitibiBowater’s forestlands remain intact. Less than 3 per cent of the forestlands where AbitibiBowater operates is protected in Quebec, less than 6 per cent is protected in Ontario. None of AbitibiBowater’s forestlands have achieved Forest Stewardship Council certification, ensuring responsible forest management.

Greenpeace is demanding that AbitibiBowater stop their destructive logging practices. The company should suspend logging in intact forest areas and caribou habitat and seek Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for all of their operations, mills and product lines.

The marketplace has been engaged

Since June 2007, Greenpeace campaigners have been meeting with major customers of AbitibiBowater, urging them to pressure the logging company to protect the Boreal Forest. Because these customers can exert financial pressure on the logging company, they have a significant role to play in changing where and how AbitibiBowater logs. A number of these customers, frustrated by AbitibiBowater’s lack of action have taken their business to other companies as well as adopted environmental purchasing policies.

Read more about AbitibiBowater:

Who is AbitibiBowater? Profiles of the company’s executives and key decisionmakers

Frequently Asked Questions about AbitibiBowater

Read the Chain of Destruction report which launched the AbitibiBowater campaign.