Press ReleasesNippon Paper Industries Receives First Timber from Forest Thinning Through ‘Hokkaido Mori-no-Chonaikai’ Activities- Used as Raw Material for Paper at Kushiro Mill -

Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.

Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. (President: Yoshio Haga) participates in the activities of 'Hokkaido Mori-no-Chonaikai'. These activities were launched in April 2012 by the environmental NPO Office Chonai-kai (Representative: Eiju Hangai) in order to link the CSR activities of corporations and organizations in Hokkaido to the creation of healthy forests by promoting thinning in Tsurui-mura, Akan-gun, Hokkaido. The first thinning has now been carried out, and on February 13 the village mayor of Tsurui-mura and other concerned parties attended a ceremony to mark the shipping of timber.

Lack of funds has prevented forest thinning from being carried out in recent years and there is concern for the social problems that will result from the devastation of forests. 'Hokkaido Mori-no-Chonaikai' is working to resolve this issue. Its driving force is the supporting companies and organizations that are favourably disposed to the promotion of thinning. The price of the "paper that contributes to forest thinning" used as printing paper by the supporting companies and organizations has been set to include 15 yen/kg, which corresponds to around 10% of the existing price of paper, and this amount will be used in its entirety to help support forest thinning. Timber from forest thinning that has been removed is processed into woodchip at Tsurui Mill of the Group company Nichimoku Rinsan Hokkaido Co., Ltd. which is then utilized as part of the raw materials for paper at Kushiro Mill (Kushiro, Hokkaido) of Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. Nippon Paper Industries will continue to cooperate in the activities of 'Hokkaido Mori-no-Chonaikai' by utilizing timber from forest thinning to contribute to the creation of healthy forests.