Why Replacing Plastic with Paper / Board results in loss of life and adds to Climate Change

Posted on 15 Jul 2025

Why do Supermarkets and Brand Owners ignore the Worldwide Devastation caused by Monoculture Paper Pulp Forests?

Every month we read about another major Brand owner or Supermarket replacing plastic packaging with paper / board saving X? tonnes of plastic. The implication being that this plastic substitution to paper / board is somehow environmentally beneficial and that the replacement material is more ‘sustainable’’. At a recent meeting with a senior supermarket packaging manager, I was shown an LCA where they concluded that only 56% of UK plastic packaging is recycled and 78% of paper / board is recycled, on average paper / board packaging is more sustainable!!

When I asked what allowance had been made for deforestation, CO2 emissions, and loss of life due to monoculture paper pulp forest fires, his response was ‘no LCA could cover these eventualities’. However, every year we ignore the fact that these events are occurring more often due to climate change.

The Negative Environmental Impact of Monoculture Paper Pulp Forests

In Canada 2023/24: - 20 million hectares of monoculture forests were destroyed by fire, (the total land equivalent of England and Wales).

• In 5 months, over 2.4 mega tonnes of CO2 were released into the Earth’s atmosphere. (World Resource Institute).
• These CO2 emissions were calculated to be higher in output than a whole year of CO2 from Japan and Russia combined.
• In 2023, these fires displaced circa 185,000 people and 8 people died.
• In 2024, 32,000 people displaced, and 2 people died. (P Jain Report 2024)
• In addition, 50 million kilos of glyphosate (weed killer) had been used to suppress undergrowth development in these forests – (Bayer has paid $11 billion compensation to the subsequent cancer claims from victims).
• In Portugal in 2024, 15,500 hectares of Eucalyptus monoculture paper pulp forest were destroyed by fire.
• 69 million tonnes of CO2 emissions were released into the atmosphere.
• 16 people died, including 9 fire fighters.

Paper Pulp Monoculture Forest Fires Worldwide

China, Indonesia, Chile, Brazil, Bolivia, Russia, Australia, Germany, Finland, all these countries had paper pulp forest fires in 2023/4 (Google). Billions of trees were destroyed; billions of tonnes of CO2 were released into the Earth’s atmosphere. People, Animals, Insects, Birds, all around the world are dying due to the planting of single species monoculture eucalyptus and spruce pine trees for paper manufacture. The high cellulose and pulp content of these trees results in uncontrollable fires (the Portuguese call them petrol trees). As the forest undergrowth has been doused with weed killer to discourage undergrowth, these fires spread rapidly.

Monoculture Forest – An ongoing Problem

Year by year the problem of forest fires worsens due to higher temperatures worldwide. Unfortunately, many of these fire devasted areas are then simply abandoned, as the removal of the burned-out stumps of trees is simply too expensive in time and money for rectification. (In Portugal, we saw mile after mile of abandoned burned out wasteland).

Circa 4 billion trees worldwide are cut down every year for paper / board packaging of which the UK consumes circa 85 million (Statista). However, the Eucalyptus tree can take up to 20 years to reach maximum CO2 absorption. But Eucalyptus pulp wood trees are often harvested 4-7 years before maturity. Thus, billions of trees are harvested before full CO2 absorption, this creates a major CO2 loss to the environment.

Conclusions

• The replacement of plastic packaging with paper / board is environmentally damaging.
• The deforestation caused every year by fires in the eucalyptus / pine monoculture forests is ignored.
• People are killed, their homes destroyed, millions of animals and other wildlife is eliminated, along with their habitats due to monoculture forests.
• These fires release billions of tonnes of CO2 into the Earth’s atmosphere every year adding to climate change.
• Millions of gallons of glyphosate is used to kill insects and undergrowth, the resulting carcinogenic mix washes into water courses (WHO IARC Report 2015).
• Every tree harvested early results in a loss of CO2.
• Worldwide millions of burned-out hectares are left derelict.

Summary

The government, WRAP, Brand owners and Supermarkets are all intent on replacing ‘single use plastic’, rather than promote plastic collection and recycling.

The consequence is that plastic packaging consumption is falling, whilst paper / board packaging is increasing. The UK paper / board industry imports over 50% of its paper pulp requirements every year. These imports are from many of the countries noted. Thus, UK plastic packaging substitution simply adds to all the environmental and human problems noted.

As ever, I welcome your views on any of the items raised and welcome you to join me on LinkedIn for more regular updates.

Twigg Times

#DontHatePlastic