Pulp mills & ECAs

(Pulp Mill Watch, Berlin, 6 August 2007). Over the next five years, the global pulp industry is planning a massive increase in worldwide production capacity by more than 25 million tonnes. A new report Banks, Pulp and People: A Primer on Upcoming International Pulp Projects notes: "Export Credit Agencies play an important role in financing machinery and equipment purchases by pulp mills. While ECAs allow the purchase of modern equipment which is less polluting, changes in pulping technology mean that the production capacity of new pulp mills has increased substantially, meaning more demands on raw material, water and energy supply as well as needing transport and logistical infrastructure around the mill." The report documents the environmental impacts of large scale industrial tree plantations to feed giant new mills in Australia, Brazil, China, Indonesia, Laos, South Africa and Uruguay.