The Sumatran rainforest victim of labeling system

In previous blogs it is obviously clear that a lot of products acquired an ecolabel, even though when they do not satisfy the conditions. But how was it possible that these products obtained an ecolabel?

I found an example of two famous brands of copying paper, Lucky Boss and Golden Plus that are labeled with the eco-flower even though their paper is made out of timber obtained from one of the largest but fastest disappearing tropical rainforests on the Indonesian Island of Sumatra.
Because of the destruction of the Sumatran rainforest, tigers, elephants and even the tribe called Orang Rimba lost their residence.

How was it possible that these brands acquired an ecolabel?

European laws allow national governments to institute authorities to award the eco-label. The EU defends their authorities by announcing that only the most environmentally friendly products are permitted to carry the EU Ecolabel. They also declare that choosing eco-labeled paper stands for paper coming from recycled fibers or sustainably managed forests. This statement is misleading though. According to the law only 10% of the fibers used for producing paper has to come from forests that are certified with ‘a sustainable forest management’, which means that 90% does not meet such criteria.

The EU has to admit that there is a problem with its labeling system. (The Guardian)

Ellen De Medts