Use Non-Toxic Recycled Materials

Affordability

Greener paper products are ever more widely available, and will list their recycled and post-consumer content, often including information on the source of the pulp as well. The relative cost of these papers has decreased as market demand has greatly increased, however with consumer demand for sustainable products high, manufacturers may try to pass off an inferior product as the best choice. Look for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified products, high post-consumer content and non-chlorine bleached products paper products.

Cost savings

Green options can be costly when they first hit the market. However, the cost savings associated with using less, in particular, can more than offset the monetary costs of going green. Increasingly, the cost of greener options is decreasing as increased demand leads to increased supply.

Environmental considerations

Manufacturing recycled paper produces 74% less air pollution and 35% less water pollution, as well as using 58% less water and 64% less energy than making paper from virgin wood pulp. Using 100% post-consumer recycled paper causes 100% less deforestation and therefore 100% less wildlife habitat is destroyed.

What you need to know

• Develop a sustainable purchasing policy for all products in your workplace. Bring the purchasing department in on policy development and make them part of an office green team.
• Ask your supplier about their environmentally friendly options. If they don’t offer any, consider switching. Your consumer choices will drive market transformation toward the development and availability of better products. From major chains to specialty niche suppliers, there are now many office supply stores focusing on providing good environmental choices.
• Post-consumer content is paper that has been collected back from consumers and remade into new product. Buying “recycled” without ensuring a high level of “post-consumer content” simply means that leftovers at the mill were reused during production – it is not helping to reduce landfill or conserve forests. Look for 100% post-consumer content when possible to ensure no virgin fibre (additional trees) has been used.
• Note that there is no certification standard to ensure that recycled or post-consumer claims are genuine. Purchasing paper products that are both certified FSC and 100% post-consumer ensures that the product is actually made from 100% post-consumer waste fibre. FSC is a certification standard that ensures all fibre is sustainably harvested. Purchasing 100% post-consumer waste fibre paper products means using no virgin fibre. The process of segregating fibres at the mill (a requirement of FSC), ensures that no virgin fibre contaminates the post-consumer recycled fibre stock.
• The process of bleaching paper with chlorine or chlorine compounds releases Persistent Organic Pollutants into the environment. These chemicals get into our food chain and pose health risks to humans and to ecosystems. Reach for Unbleached is the leading non-profit organization examining mill effluents and chlorine bleaching.
• Using non-chlorine bleached paper with high post-consumer recycled content is a great step for the environment. Even better is reducing total paper usage in the office. Work to change habits and expectations. Does everyone need a printed agenda? Can one draft report be shared by several reviewers? Can on-line publishing replace hard copy? Print and copy on both sides of the paper at all times, and expand margins when possible to fit more text on one page.
• Ensure that your own office recycling program – paper, plastic and metals – is in place and well used by employees.
• Markets Initiative is a B.C.-based non-profit that works with magazine and book publishers to make the switch to Ancient Forest Friendly paper, which is the highest paper standard in the industry. Their website offers numerous resources, including an ecopaper database and useful definitions of paper and processing designations.
• The U.S. based Conservatree.org is another great resource for information on the best paper to purchase.
• FSC is the most rigorous of the fibre/paper certification systems, ensuring the products are sourced using sustainable forest practices. This downloadable PDF from Markets Initiative compares FSC to other certification systems: Canadian Standards Association (CSA), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certifications (PEFC).
• Sustainable paper use does not stop at your threshold. Work with print shops that supply a variety of sustainable paper options for your print materials.
• Retail packaging is another great consumer of paper products. Encourage your customers to bring their own bags. For the packaging you do use, switch to bags and boxes made with a high percentage post consumer fibre, or if you must use specialty packaging, look to paper and plastic alternatives such as corn and bamboo.

FAQ

Is the quality of recycled paper equal to that of conventional virgin fibre paper?
There are many types and grades of paper to meet different needs. Over the years, recycled alternatives have been developed to match many of them. However, some specialty papers are more difficult to reproduce with recycled fibre. If you are having a hard time finding a recycled paper that suits your purpose, consider shifting your materials to a new look and feel that will accommodate recycled papers. Promote your new look as a step towards a higher level of environmental responsibility.

Aside from requiring fewer trees, are there other benefits to using recycled paper?
Beyond wood, recycled paper products can save on energy, greenhouse gases, water and solid waste when compared to paper made from virgin fibre. Use the Environmental Defense Fund’s paper calculator to find out how much of each of these resources your paper choices require and compare them to using other products.