Our Work in the World:

Our role in this world is to shift consumption patterns of industrial paper consumers so that their purchases do not destroy ancient and endangered forests such as Canada’s Boreal, temperate rainforests and the tropical forests. We work with companies to shift the demand for paper products to sustainable options. And if those options do not currently exist we work collaboratively with major paper purchasers and throughout the supply chain to create the demand that brings alternatives into existence.

This is not a dream. This is what we are already doing and what we will continue to do until ancient and endangered forests are no longer threatened by the demand for paper products.

Today, because of our efforts, over 160 Canadian publishers have switched to printing up to 95% of their publications on Ancient Forest Friendly or eco-friendly paper. We have worked with these book and magazine publishers to leverage their commitment throughout the paper supply chain, right back to the logging companies. We have mentored similar projects in nine other countries and in 2005 we began work with the Canadian newspaper sector.

We translate good will into good action, with tangible ecological savings – of forest biodiversity, of water and of energy.

Markets Initiative has the confidence that if we develop the pathway to shift major paper users to Ancient Forest Friendly paper and paper efficiency– they will walk the way, blazing the trail themselves if needs be, with us as a guide. We are being proven right.

In our vision are forests – wild, vast, complex, vital and stunningly beautiful. On the edges of those forests and far away in the cities are many companies with whom we work diligently to conserve species habitat and the dynamic processes vital to the ecological balance. These leaders bring those that lag behind along.

Who We Are:

We were founded in 1999 to protect the world’s ancient and endangered forests and biodiversity by shifting corporate demand - and use - to ecologically sustainable paper products and reducing overall consumption.

Our staff run three primary campaigns:

• Book sector

• Magazine sector

• Newsprint sector

To date, 77 Canadian magazines, 102 Canadian book publishers 1 newspaper and 7 printers have formalized and begun implementing Ancient Forest Friendly and eco-friendly policies with our staff. More than 192,000 trees have been saved as a result of this work.

To access the market for Ancient Forest Friendly and eco friendly paper generated by our work, North American mills have begun manufacturing 23 new papers that directly fit our environmental criteria or are ecologically improved.

Markets Initiative’s work with Canadian book publishers to shift titles onto eco-friendly papers has led to the support of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling (who’s books in Canada are now printed on Ancient Forest Friendly paper), as well as Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro, Yann Martel and 60 other well-known Canadian authors.

Our Executive Director, Nicole Rycroft, was selected as an Ashoka Fellow in recognition of outstanding social entrepreneurship.  And in June 2006, Nicole received a Gold 'Sustainable Living' Award from the Canadian Environment Awards sponsored by Canadian Geographic.