When purchasing, specifying or using paper it is worth finding out what the sustainability risks are and what can be done to minimise them to ensure your company is fully compliant with best practice for paper purchasing.
Taking a basic life-cycle approach, paper’s impacts encompass raw materials, manufacturing, use and disposal. There’s also the paper’s contribution to climate change, known as the carbon footprint.
The raw material for paper is wood fibre. A benefit of this is that it’s a renewable resource – trees are planted to replace those cut down. However, good forest management is not just about replanting trees; it should also address environmental impacts, preserve biodiversity and consider social issues. Fortunately, many papers are available that are certified to forest management standards, such as FSC or PEFC. These reassure paper users that the wood fibre can be traced back to a well-managed forest.
It’s not always necessary to use ‘virgin’ wood fibre from trees. Recycled paper such as the revive range, utilise waste again, instead of it being dumped in landfill where it would emit methane, a greenhouse gas. The production of recycled pulp, compared to virgin fibre pulp, typically uses less energy, less water and causes less pollution too. However, fibre can only be recycled half a dozen times, so the industry will always need virgin fibre.
Modern paper mills use lots of water, fibre and energy. They also generate waste and emissions to water and air. If these issues are not properly managed, the environmental impacts could be serious. However, most manufacturers have invested heavily in this area and can demonstrate continuous environmental improvements. It is worth checking whether the mill has a certified environmental management system, such as ISO14001. This provides reassurance that environmental issues are being managed appropriately.
The lion’s share of a paper’s carbon footprint is produced before it reaches the user. The carbon footprint is affected by the type of energy used in production and where the mill is located. It can also be difficult to make reliable comparisons because of a current lack of assessment standards. A lot of work is going on to address the industry’s contribution to climate change but unfortunately accurate information is still patchy.
It is also imperative to reduce paper waste and recycle more. It’s useful to consider paper usage. Only print when it’s necessary, print on both sides or reduce font sizes and margins to get more on a page. When paper has fulfilled its purpose it should be sent for recycling. Some suppliers even offer a ‘closed-loop’ recycling system where waste paper is taken back to a mill to be made into paper again (for example, see
www.yoyopaper.com).
So, if you’re interested in greening your paper use, here are some simple steps:
· Choose recycled paper, or paper certified to FSC or PEFC standards.
· Ask whether the mill has ISO14001.
· Use paper efficiently.
· Always recycle it when you’re done starting with this piece in your hands.