Gunn's and ANZ
It occurs to me that if the average Australian mortgage is about $300,000 and the cost of the Gunn's mill is about $1.8 billion, it would only take 6,000 average customers to take their business away from ANZ to offset any gain they would have from investing in the mill.
So I decided to write to the ANZ as shown below. I would encourage anyone who is serious about opposing this pulp mill to do the same.
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Dear ANZ,
I have been a loyal customer of the ANZ for a number of years and undertake all of my banking, mortgage and insurance business under your umbrella. I also work as an Environmental Engineer and have in the past undertaken a design study into building a Pulp and Paper Mill in Australia.
Consequently, I am dismayed to find ANZ repeatedly mentioned as a key financier of the proposed Gunn's Pulp Mill in Tasmania.
This mill design uses an ECF (Elemental Chlorine Free) bleaching process (using Chlorine Dioxide) to produce paper of a high brightness. It is possible to achieve similar results - with slightly reduced brightness - using a TCF (Totally Chlorine Free) bleaching process utilising Ozone.
Eliminating the use of Chlorine would eliminate the potential release of Dioxins into the environment, some of the most toxic substances produced by man.
In light of this I am seriously reconsidering my investment with ANZ. In particular, it appears that Westpac - universally accredited as Australia's most respected Bank (using RQ and CRI measurements) - is making strong comments about its sustainable investment strategies and appears a closer match to my personal values.
Nonetheless I would like to hear from ANZ on how:
it can justify the investment into the proposed Gunn's Pulp Mill when it is generally understood that the mill does not use world's best practice bleaching technology (quite apart from where it sources its timber) and
what ANZ's policy is with respect to the brightness of office paper used (in other words would ANZ be prepared to lead business in adopting non-Chlorine bleached office paper products as are commonly used by large organisations in Japan - my employer Toyota springs to mind - and Germany - which takes 75% of the world's supply of TCF bleached paper products.)
I look very much forward to hearing from you soon and will be encouraging my friends and family to make similar enquiries about their finacial providers.
Yours Sincerely
Andreas Kammel
>>>
So I decided to write to the ANZ as shown below. I would encourage anyone who is serious about opposing this pulp mill to do the same.
<<<
Dear ANZ,
I have been a loyal customer of the ANZ for a number of years and undertake all of my banking, mortgage and insurance business under your umbrella. I also work as an Environmental Engineer and have in the past undertaken a design study into building a Pulp and Paper Mill in Australia.
Consequently, I am dismayed to find ANZ repeatedly mentioned as a key financier of the proposed Gunn's Pulp Mill in Tasmania.
This mill design uses an ECF (Elemental Chlorine Free) bleaching process (using Chlorine Dioxide) to produce paper of a high brightness. It is possible to achieve similar results - with slightly reduced brightness - using a TCF (Totally Chlorine Free) bleaching process utilising Ozone.
Eliminating the use of Chlorine would eliminate the potential release of Dioxins into the environment, some of the most toxic substances produced by man.
In light of this I am seriously reconsidering my investment with ANZ. In particular, it appears that Westpac - universally accredited as Australia's most respected Bank (using RQ and CRI measurements) - is making strong comments about its sustainable investment strategies and appears a closer match to my personal values.
Nonetheless I would like to hear from ANZ on how:
it can justify the investment into the proposed Gunn's Pulp Mill when it is generally understood that the mill does not use world's best practice bleaching technology (quite apart from where it sources its timber) and
what ANZ's policy is with respect to the brightness of office paper used (in other words would ANZ be prepared to lead business in adopting non-Chlorine bleached office paper products as are commonly used by large organisations in Japan - my employer Toyota springs to mind - and Germany - which takes 75% of the world's supply of TCF bleached paper products.)
I look very much forward to hearing from you soon and will be encouraging my friends and family to make similar enquiries about their finacial providers.
Yours Sincerely
Andreas Kammel
>>>