The global production of paper packaging is surging, yet the rising demand for wood raises questions about sustainability. The Mondi SCP paper mill in Ružomberok is one of Europe's largest paper packaging producers. It uses around 2.2 million cubic metres of wood each year, but the origin of the raw material and the terms of its procurement are not transparent enough.
The investigation has revealed disadvantageous contracts involving state forests, inadequate oversight of logging operations and cases of wood from old-growth forests being used. Thanks to GPS locators, the team of journalists and activists from Slovakia and Germany have uncovered unsustainable logging in Slovakia's national parks.
Experts are warning that supplies of suitable pulpwood are dwindling, and that recycling cannot offset the impact of rising paper consumption. Unfortunately, the political situation in Slovakia is deteriorating. The Slovak government has recently approved a move that puts four national parks back under the control of the state forestry authority rather than conservationists, which makes unsustainable logging more likely.
