JAPAN: Computer Magazine Takes Leaf Out of Ecologists’ Notebook

By Suvendrini Kakuchi Reprint | | Print |

Suvendrini Kakuchi

TOKYO, Mar 21 1996 (IPS) - In April, an established Japanese computer magazine is due to hit local newsstands with a completely new look, and though ecological issues will not dominate its pages, the planned launch is causing a buzz in environmental circles.

That’s because it will be Japan’s first commercial magazine printed on Total Chlorine Free (TCF) paper, a revolutionary development in the Japanese print media that is being hailed by green groups as a crucial step along the way to pushing domestic companies to adopt environment friendly policies.

“The magazine will have a significant impact worldwide,” said Mikiko Fukuda of Greenpeace Japan, pointing out that Japan is the world’s second largest consumer of paper after the United States.

ASCII Corporation, a leading computer company, earlier this week announced the launch of its first magazine to be printed on chlorine free paper.

TCF pulp is bleached with oxygen instead of chlorine which releases toxic by-products such as dioxin and organo-chlorine. It is not produced in Japan, but ASCII is importing it from Finland.

More than 330 tons of bleached paper pulp is used to produce the 28,000 pages contained in ASCII publications.

The main difference in the appearance of the glossy “Monthly ASCII” magazine, which has a monthly circulation of 280,000, is that the paper will be slightly darker than conventional bleached paper.

ASCII spokesman Masao Arimitsu, who announced the launch earlier this week, said the company had decided to make the change — at least on a trial basis — to illustrate its commitment to environmental protection.

Company officials say a decision on whether or not to continue using TCF paper will depend on the public’s response.

“Consumers may not like the magazine because it looks different to conventional bleached paper,” Arimitsu acknowledged.

“Our other concerns are the higher cost of TCF in comparison to regular bleached material and our overwhelming dependency on the supply from Finland because no Japanese pulp company has indicated it is ready to produce the material,”

Japanese companies responding to growing criticism from green activists have begun manufacturing paper that is 30 to 80 per cent chlorine free but have not yet made the plunge to TCF production.

TCF pulp costs around ten per cent more in the domestic market than bleached pulp. But the magazine price will not be increased, ASCII officials say.

Greenpeace is hopeful that the ASCII project will be a success. Fukuda, an expert on paper consumption in Japan, says that with Japan’s voracious appetite for paper showing no signs of abating, it is extremely important for ASCII to succeed.

Surveys show that Japan consumed 28 million tons of paper 1994, second only to the United States which used more than 80 million tons. China is third in the paper chase with 21 million tons.

The United States and Canada are the largest suppliers of pulp to Japan which imports more than 1.2 million tons annually. Tokyo also imports large amounts of hardwood chips from Indonesia and Chile for pulp manufacture by Japanese paper companies.

The Japan Paper Manufacturers Association reports that pulp imports are growing by more than three per cent on an annual basis. Pulp prices are also increasing, leading Japanese companies to increase domestic production, said a spokesman.

Greenpeace says that Japan is the only industrialised country that does not have stringent regulations on the levels of dioxin discharges. “The level of consciousness on this issue is very low among Japanese companies and the government,” charged Ayako Sekine of Greenpeace Japan.

Dioxin is discharged mainly by incinerators that burn waste. The toxic compound is then either released into the air or buried into the earth in the form of ash.

A recent successful lawsuit against the Tokyo Metropolitan government by a citizen’s group charged that the leak of toxics such as dioxin from a waste site, was contaminating the water supply in the area.

More than 60 per cent of Japan’s waste is used paper. Despite efforts by the government to increase the practice of recycling, Japanese industry has a huge appetite only for white paper which has put a damper on the recycling campaign.

And even though a bill was passed in the Diet (Japanese parliament) in January aimed at promoting the recycling of packaging waste as a means of curbing paper consumption, this is unlikely to have any impact in the short-term.

The law goes into effect in two years and typical to Japan where business interests override environmental concerns, it provide for an additional five-year grace period for paper and plastic packaging.