©WWF, Hans Peter Vieli, Manager of „ROPRESS cooperative", in front of his company. Zurich, Switzerland - The first print shop in the world, the Swiss "ROPRESS cooperative", has acquired a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain-of-Custody certificate. The certification of ROPRESS was initiated by WWF, the conservation organization. Hans Peter Vieli, Manager of ROPRESS, hopes that other print shops will follow his company's example, bringing more FSC paper on the market.

"The printing business welcomes FSC certification - we've been waiting for it a long time", states Mr Vieli. " When chlorine-free bleached paper hit the market, a lot of people stopped using grey recycled paper. We can now offer a more sensible product with FSC paper, one that doesn't ignore the market trend."

"ROPRESS' commitment indicates that FSC perfectly combines ecology and economy", says Damian Oettli, Head of WWF-Switzerland's forest campaign. "World wide print shops should consider FSC certification since this strengthens their market position in relation to their competitors".

©WWF , Tania Witt (Public Relations agency Grendene, Ogilvy & Mather), Simone Stammbach (WWF Switzerland), Hans Peter Vieli (Manager of „ROPRESS cooperative"), Francois Bonhôte (Grendene, Ogilvy & Mather) present the printed FSC-brochure. WWF supports the FSC, the only globally applicable and credible certification scheme guaranteeing environmentally sound, socially beneficial and economically viable forest practices. Chain-of-Custody certification secures sound management throughout the whole processing from FSC-certified wood to the finished paper product. ROPRESS is a member of the WWF WOOD GROUP, the Forest and Trade Network in Switzerland. Over 600 forest owners, timber processors, retailers of timber and paper products, architects and construction companies have joined Forest and Trade Networks in 18 countries around the world. The Global Forest and Trade Network is committed to producing and purchasing forest products from well-managed forests and to supporting independent certification through the FSC.

For further information:

Hans Peter Vieli, Manager of "ROPRESS cooperative", phone: +00 41 1 491 24 31, e-mail: ropress@active.ch,

Damian Oettli, WWF-Switzerland, phone: +0041794073501, e-mail: damian.oettli@wwf.ch or

Simone Stammbach, phone: +0041 1 297 21 65, e-mail: simone.stammbach@wwf.ch.

Notes to Editor

1. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization enabling independent certification of forestry around the globe. More than 180 forest areas in 32 countries world wide have been independently certified under its auspices and over 10,000 FSC-labeled products are now available to the consumer. Visit the FSC website for more information: www.fscoax.org

2. The Global Forest and Trade Network is now operating in North America, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, the Nordic countries (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland), the Netherlands, Russia (producers group), Spain, Switzerland, and the UK. At the current rate of growth there will be 800 to 1000 members by the end of the year 2000, with Japan and Hong Kong poised to join the network soon.

3. For more information on the Swiss Forest and Trade Network, visit www.wwfwoodgroup.ch

4. Urs Spinner (USp) from WWF Switzerland talked to Mr Hans Peter Vieli (HV), the Manager of Ropress, a Zurich-based printers' cooperative about the certification process and what it has meant for his business. Download the Interview in Word format. Error: Unable to read footer file.