Papier in der Meinungsfalle / Paper in the opinion-trap

The social discourse on the topics environmental protection or sustainable utilization of resources is given dynamism by the introduction of opinions and symbols into the discussion. Politics of information are therefore characterized just by the repetition of statements for the creation or modification of a dominating opinion. Therefore this opinion results to a minor part from direct perception of reality but through indirect perception of most different communication channels. This process of opinion-forming and the effects of social altitudes are major research topics at the Chair of Forest Policy and Forest History of the LMU - Munich. Very often the existing unbalances between an increasing utilization of waste paper on the one hand and the decreasing consumption of industrial wood from thinnings on the other hand is cited in connection with the discussions on a sustainable paper cycle. Looking at this phenomenon from a social science point of view, it's becoming evident that the attitude of society is preventing from a more favorable solution for both sides. In the follow up this opinion-trap is described with the help of two phenomena and the consequences for the paper industry and forestry is explained. The following presentation defines in the beginning the item sustainability, discusses the problems of the implementation of sustainable paper cycle. To succeed, the positions of the involved actors (forestry, paper industry, environmental groups and agencies) should be considered in a sufficient way to avoid that conflicts are transported neither spatial, temporal nor within the dimensions of sustainability (ecology, production, technic, society).