2019-08-16

ELEPHANT Protection

Banana paper also protects endangered species such as elephants, giraffes and lions.

A photo we took in Zambia, near our project. One of the causes of elephant poaching is poverty. Getting a job making banana paper, can prevent poaching. We create jobs for people in the risk zone of becoming poachers, and provide them with biodiversity training to better understand the importance of protecting wildlife and the natural environment.
One morning, this elephant appeared near where I was staying (photo taken with my smartphone). Meat, palm oil and wood-based paper are taking a toll on forests around the world. Only tree planting cannot keep up with regenerating forests. One of the reasons for the decline in tiger and orangutan populations in Asia for example, is unsustainable forestry. In the case of Japan, 1/5 of all printing paper is from tropical south asian areas like rainforests (Source: WWF Japan). While the demand for paper is increasing in Africa – a continent where economies are growing fast – the use of paper is also increasing. Banana Paper is offering a sustainable alternative. And it helps to protect both wildlife, forests and people!

Can you imagine Africa without elephants, giraffes and lions? Now, all of them are currently endangered…

About 1 million species of animals and plants are currently in danger of extinction (Source: United Nations / IPBES). Biodiversity is the engine of the “biocycle”, the very base for our existence and the most important basis in circular economy. In other words, protecting biodiversity also leads to protecting our health and economy.

Since the 1970s, the world’s population has almost doubled. At the same time, the number of animals in the world has been reduced by more than half *2. And the production of paper is nearly five times higher *3. We believe that we need smarter paper alternatives. One of those options is fair trade banana paper!

Paper production has increased fivefold since the the 1960s! Source: Paper Industry World 2013

Good news

In 2021, it was reported that Zambia, where the banana paper factory is located, had an increase in the number of elephants, an endangered species!

In order to protect wild animals, one of the keys is to involve local people, and to eliminate the challenges of poverty.

One Planet Paper®︎ does just that!

*Source: *1 WWF, African Wildlife Foundation, Giraffe Conservation Foundation (2016, 2017) *2 Global Footprint Network (2017) *3 Paper Industry World (2013).