February 18, 2009

Plantation and Wood Chip Businesses in Brazil and Australia
Obtain Forest Certification
- Toward certified trees/planted trees for all Nippon Paper imports of hardwood chips -

Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.
Marubeni Corporation

On December 23, 2008, the plantation and wood chip business, AMCEL (Amapa Florestal e Celulose S.A. *Note 1), jointly owned and managed by Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. and Marubeni Corporation in Brazil, obtained the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) forest certification, a well-known system of forest certification with worldwide coverage. On January 23, 2009, the State forests in Western Australia where WAPRES (WA Plantation Resources Pty. Ltd. *Note 2), the plantation and wood chip export company jointly owned and managed by both companies in Australia, purchases part of the raw material for wood chips, also obtained the AFS (Australian Forestry Standard *Note 3) certification. As WAPRES had already obtained the AFS certification for its own plantations since 2004, the Company's chipping facilities are expected to obtain the CoC (Chain of Custody *Note 4) certification very soon. These achievements make all the WAPRES wood chip exports to Japan CoC certified.
 
• Achieving the Targets in the Environmental Action Plan
As laid out in the environmental action plans for the Nippon Paper Group, Nippon Paper Industries is working toward stated targets including "all domestic and overseas Company-owned forest shall acquire forest certifications by 2008" and "the ratio of hardwood chips derived from certified forets and plantation against imported hardwood chips shall be 100% by 2008." On this occasion, we have been able to achieve these targets thanks to the forest certification obtained by these two companies (*Note 5). From now on, we will steadfastly practice sustainable raw material procurement while aiming to realize Group Vision 2015, which will grow corporate value for the Nippon Paper Group in the future.
 
• Increasing the Value of the Business by Obtaining Forest Certification
Marubeni aims to "expand the value chain from raw materials to finished products" by developing the pulp and paper industries upstream and downstream across the whole domain. In the upstream domain, in particular, the company is involved with operations and investments in plantation businesses in overseas, including Australia and Brazil as the Company believes that there is ever more importance on securing planted tree resources. With these two companies obtaining the forest certification, the value of the business are increased and lead to the "sustainable growth" stipulated in the "SG2009" the medium term management plan for the Company Group.
 
 
(Notes)
*1 Amapa Florestal e Celulose S.A.
Established: 1976
Location: Santana, Amapá, Brazil
Capital Structure: Nippon Paper Industries 50%, Marubeni Corporation 50%
Annual Turnover: 100 million BRL (approx. 3.8 billion yen)
Planted Area: 60,000 hectares (total land holdings 300,000 hectares)
 
*2 WA Plantation Resources Pty. Ltd.
Established: 2000
Location: Bunbury, Western Australia, Australia
Capital Structure: Nippon Paper Industries 50%, Marubeni Corporation 50%
Annual Turnover: 120 million AUD (approx. 7.2 billion yen)
Planted Area: 30,000 hectares
 
*3 Australian Forestry Standard   http://www.forestrystandard.org.au/
Forest certification system in Australia that has mutual recognition by the world's largest forest certification organization, the PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification).
 
*4 Chain of Custody
An element of supply chain management, which certifies that products are managed, based on the standards set out in the forest certification system in all processes including production, processing and distribution.
 
*5 The FSC forest certification obtained by AMCEL is valid for an area (approx. 200,000 hectares) where eucalyptus plantations are presently growing. The company plans to acquire the forest certification again after establishing plantations on future planned sites (approx. 105,000 hectares).
 

Map of Nippon Paper Industries, Marubeni Joint Plantation Businesses