Q: Is the wood for the pulp legally harvested and sourced from sustainably managed and accredited forests?

A: Yes: The suppliers of pulp to SCA are required to show independent accreditation for their forests and chain of custody accreditation for their mills. We are currently working through a process with suppliers showing that all pulp shipped to SCA is covered under these accreditations. The majority of pulp that is received by SCA is sourced from accredited forests and mills. For the small portion of pulp that is not shown to come from independently accredited plantation forests all suppliers must and do send a signed declaration that states that none of the raw materials for this pulp is collected from controversial sources. SCA Hygiene Australasia's 5 year plan is to ensure all fibre is sourced from certified sources.

Q: Does recycled actually mean recycled?

A: Many of SCA's products include a component of pre-consumer recycled fibre, which is recovered from converting plants, to reduce waste to landfill. SCA products manufactured in Australia and New Zealand do not currently contain post-consumer recycled fibre content, although we are continuing to trial it for possible inclusion in future products.

Q: Has the manufacturing process been independently accredited?

A: Yes: All of SCA's Australasian mills are ISO 14001:2004 accredited.

Q: Is the product independently accredited?

A: A number of SCA's products are currently accredited with internationally recognised ecolabels from their country of manufacture. Some of these accreditations include:

• Good Environmental Choice Australia
• Environmental Choice New Zealand
• Blue Angel (Germany)
• Nordic Nations (Sweden)
• Environmental Choice Canada

Q: Does the company manage its water use and disposal responsibly?

A: SCA is committed to reducing water use by 15% over the next five years and improving waste water quality by reducing organic content by at least 30% over the next 5 years.

Q: How carbon efficient is the company?

A: SCA is committed to reducing energy and carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels by at least 5% over the next five years. Within SCA globally, benchmarks are used to compare mills and improve efficiency by sharing best practices.

• Products made in Australia are manufactured from wood fibre sourced mainly from North and South America.
• Products made in New Zealand are manufactured from wood fibre sourced from New Zealand and North America.
• SCA also sells imported finished goods from Europe and North America into the Australasian market.

Q: What chemicals are used?

A: All pulp purchased has been produced by either Elemental chlorine free (ECF) or Totally chlorine free (TCF) bleaching processes. SCA is continually working with our chemical suppliers to introduce more effective and environmentally friendly chemicals into our production processes.

Q: How open is the company?

A: SCA is committed to transparency and open communication about its environmental and social practices. It seeks dialogue with its stakeholders in order to contribute to the development of global best practice. SCA demands the same commitment to transparency and open communication from its suppliers and sub contractors. SCA's Sustainability Report can be found at: www.sca.com/en/Investors/Reports. According to the WWF International November 2005 survey of European "Tissue Giants", SCA remains the undisputed leader among the key tissue manufacturers for the transparency and clarity of its reporting and is highlighted as the "only tissue giant to provide adequate assurance that they promote forest management of the highest environmental and social standards and actively avoid forest destruction".

Q: What waste is there at the point of use?

A: SCA is a signatory to both the National Packaging Covenant (Australia) and the National Packaging Accord (New Zealand) and as such has programmes in place to reduce the amount of packaging materials used. SCA utilises recycled materials in its packaging.