The book's Finnish publisher told printweek.com that widespread reports, which said author JK Rowling had demanded Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, were incorrect.
The New York Times, for example, reported that Rowling had "blocked the Finnish version" of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows from being printed on local paper because it "lacked the ecologically friendly certification she favours".
News providers that covered the story, which reportedly originated on Agence France-Presse, included everyone from Singapore's Channel News Asia, South Africa's The Star, to Yahoo! News in the US and India's Paper Index Times.
Annamari Arrakoski-Engardt, literary director at Rowling's Finnish publisher Tammi, told printweek.com that the author had in fact not insisted on FSC-certified paper. "There was no discussion [with Rowling] about specific paper certifications. It just had to be environmentally friendly and come from wood grown in sustainably managed forests."
Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) is more widespread than FSC in Finland, owing to the nation's role in developing the accreditation system.
The publisher had printed runs of the last novel in the series on both FSC- and PEFC-accredited paper, but this time had followed the lead of larger markets, such as Germany, and opted for FSC for the 180,000-run novel.
Finland's tendency toward PEFC, coupled with the "high demand" for FSC pulp, meant the publisher has had to import FSC-accredited paper.
FSC UK technical advisor Beck Woodrow said: "This is the Finnish situation – they haven't historically opted for FSC."
Both schemes have undergone an independent sustainability assessment in the UK. PEFC UK national secretary William Walker said they had been given "equal standing" under the government's Central Point of Expertise in Timber Procurement service.
"It's tremendous that JK Rowling's requesting certified paper. Let's get sustainability on the map," he added.
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Harry Potter and the FSC-certified paper media frenzy
Sustainable paper accreditations were thrown under the media spotlight as news organisations across the globe ran with a dubious story on the use of FSC-certified paper for the Finnish-language edition of the most recent <i>Harry Potter</i> novel.
