Since 1961, consumption of wood has doubled and paper use has more than tripled. Today, less than one fifth of the world's population living in Europe, the United States, and Japan consumes over half the world's industrial timber and more than two thirds of its paper. In the next 15 years, global demand for paper is expected to grow by half again as industrial countries continue to raise their already high levels of consumption and developing countries try to catch up.

The good news is that innovative ways of satisfying the need for forest products less wastefully are also being pursued, from reducing waste in the forest and in processing, to more efficient use of building material, to expanding paper recycling. Recycling is so successful that today over one third of the fiber used to make paper comes from recovered paper.

The Sanstha has also joined hands to promote recycling of paper in cities like Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara and Surat in India. The campaign for recycling paper has attained amazing awareness and success. In Kolkata, for example, youths have taken the responsibility to collect all forms of waste paper from homes, offices, corporate houses and hotels. Since 1994, they have collected over 1 million kg. of paper that has been sent for recycling.

For more information about paper recycling in Kolkata, India, please contact: Mr. Manish Jasani on 099038-31415