Recycling and Paper — Choices Abound

Many of our customers ask us about the percent of recycled fiber in their paper. Paper choices range from 100% recycled post-consumer fiber to 100% virgin fiber. And there are many combinations of recycled and virgin fiber. Some people may think that they are being the most environmentally responsible by choosing the 100% recycled fiber paper all the time, but there's more to environmentally friendly paper than the amount of recycled fiber in it.

First, the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) announced this year that a record-high 63.4 percent of the paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling in 2009. The number keeps rising, but if everyone demanded 100% recycled paper for all uses, we would run out of recycled fiber very soon. Plus, paper fibers can be reused only 4-6 times before they become too brittle and break down too far to be reusable, compromising the paper's strength and performance. There isn't enough recycled paper to rely on it alone.

Also, the energy used to make recycled paper is less if the paper is "downcycled." That means that high-end or office paper is more easily recycled into newspaper or cardboard. Creating a bright white sheet of paper entirely from recycled fibers uses more energy and far more chemicals and resources than downcycling that same fiber. Because of this, virgin fiber can be more environmentally sensible for bright white high-end paper.

Knowing all this about recycled paper will make your choices easier when you have a print project in mind. In some cases a 100% recycled fiber paper will work great for your project. But keep in mind 100% recycled paper is not as strong, and probably won't last as long as a combination recycled-virgin fiber paper. It also may not fold as well, and those folds won't hold up as long as a folded virgin-fiber sheet would. But Lorraine Press has printed on 100% recycled fiber paper successfully many times, and we can advise you if we think your project would work on 100% recycled fiber paper.

There are many other choices out there that are very environmentally friendly. Some papers combine post-consumer recycled fiber with alternative fibers like bamboo, which is fast growing and very renewable. Other papers are created using 100% renewable energy, such as solar and wind power. And any paper, including 100% virgin fiber paper, certified by a third-party certification process, such as FSC, is being manufactured and distributed in a sustainable way. And if you recycle all your paper after you use it, you know that it will be used again and again.

You don't have to trade off quality to protect the environment. There are many environmentally friendly papers out there, and we at Lorraine Press can help you find the perfect paper to fit your project, your budget, and your conscience.

Save a Tree — Buy Some Paper

When companies send statements or bills in the mail, it is practically guaranteed to say on the envelope "Save a tree, sign up for online statements now!"

However, plain and simple, using less paper does not save trees.

The wood fiber used in U.S. paper production comes from monitored and carefully cultivated forests, (a renewable resource!). U.S. paper companies know that the future of their business depends solely on the health and sustainability of these forests.

From 1952 to 2001 total timber growth in the United States increased by about 72 percent. And in 2001 alone, net growth of forests exceeded removals by 33 percent. Every day 1.7 million new trees are planted by the forest products industries in the U.S. Simply put, paper companies plant more trees than they cut down.

But if no one uses paper, what will happen to this tree-planting industry?

As long as the demand for paper remains strong, these managed forests are safe from real estate developers, and strip malls. "When people use more paper, suppliers plant more trees. If we want bigger commercial forests, then we should use more paper not less. Our policies should directly protect important wildlife habitats, not try to reduce our demand for paper," Edward L. Glaeser, professor of Economics, Harvard University.

So when you buy and use paper products, you are helping to save forests and trees. So the next time you have a choice to electronically send something or mail it, save a tree and use the paper!

Sources for the Statistics and Facts used in this post:
Down to Earth Part 6, http://www.internationalpaper.com/Apps/D2E/Down2EarthOnline/pdfs/D2E_6_PaperLeadsMoreTrees.pdf
Forest Resources of the U.S., 2002, http://ncrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/gtr/gtr_nc241.pdf
NAPL Business Review Vol. 5, No. 2, Summer 2010, pg. 50 The Green Medium