In response to the news that millions of copies of the upcoming JK Rowling epic Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be printed on forest-friendly paper for the first time (1), Belinda Fletcher, head of Greenpeace's forest campaign, said:

"The fact that Bloomsbury is using a mix of recycled paper and paper from well managed sources means that Harry's magic will be actually helping to protect the world's ancient forests. Animals who depend on these forests - like the wolverine and flying squirrel - will be hooting their support from places as far away as Finland and Russia."

For footage of these forests, and the animals who live in them, contact the Greenpeace press office on 0207 865 8255.

Belinda Fletcher continued:

"By printing what promises to be another absolute publishing blockbuster on paper combining recycled and Forest Stewardship Council certified fibre, Bloomsbury are showing they mean business when they say they are going 'ancient forest friendly'."

The book will go on sale worldwide at 00.01am BST on Saturday July 21st.

Greenpeace is campaigning to get the book industry to stop sourcing paper from ancient forest regions and move towards using 100 per cent ancient forest friendly paper.

Over 40 per cent of the UK book publishing industry has now introduced ancient forest friendly paper policies - including Random House, Harper Collins, Penguin, Egmont Press and Bloomsbury - and are in the process of implementing them. Meanwhile, the biggest UK publisher Hachette has yet to introduce, let alone implement, such a policy.

POTTER FACTS

• Bloomsbury will be using forest friendly papers for the text, jackets and printed paper cases for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
• The papers will be made from a mixture of post consumer recycled pulp [such as paper that people have put into their green boxes or taken to recycling centres] and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified (2) virgin pulp.
• Bloomsbury made an initial step towards making Harry Potter forest friendly in 2005 by printing the hardback version of 'Harry Potter and the half blood prince' on a 30% FSC certified paper and printing the paperback on paper made from 50 per cent post consumer recycled paper.
• The previous book in the series, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, sold 2,009,574 copies through UK bookshops, supermarkets, internet sites, and newspapers on the first day of release, Saturday 16 July 2005.

Bloomsbury is committed to using 100 per cent recycled fibre where possible for its books - the most eco-friendly option available.

ENDS

Footnotes:

(1) Ancient forest friendly papers are those that maximise recycled content, with any virgin fibre coming from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified sources.

(2) The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is the best way to ensure that forest fibre comes from environmentally and socially responsible sources. See FSC's website for more details.

For more information about the Book Campaign, photos and footage of Finnish forests, or for further information, call the Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255.

In response to the news that the next Harry Potter book will be printed on forest-friendly paper, Belinda Fletcher, head of Greenpeace's forest campaign, said:

"This announcement is great news and means that Harry Potter's magic will be helping to protect the world's ancient forests. Unfortunately, this is not the case for all books printed in the UK.

"But by publishing the forthcoming books on a paper combining recycled and Forest Stewardship Council certified fibre, Bloomsbury are making good on their commitment to go ancient forest friendly."

"It's also great to hear that Bloomsbury are looking to use 100 per cent recycled fibre where possible for other books, which is the most eco friendly option available."

Greenpeace is campaigning to get the book industry to stop sourcing paper from ancient forest regions and move towards using 100 per cent ancient forest friendly paper (1).

Bloomsbury will be printing the next Harry Potter on a mixture of post consumer recycled and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified pulp (2).

Bloomsbury made an initial step towards making Harry Potter ancient forest friendly in 2005 by printing the hardback version of 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' on a 30 per cent FSC certified paper and printing the paperback on paper made from 50 per cent post consumer recycled fibre.

ENDS

1. 1. Ancient forest friendly papers are those that maximise recycled content with any virgin fibre coming from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified sources.
2. 2. The FSC is the only certification scheme that can ensure that the timber products you are buying come from forests that have been managed in an environmentally and socially responsible way.

For more information about the campaign call the Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255.