Choosing environmentally friendly paper

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Paper production has a significant impact on the environment from the destruction of virgin forest for fibre, to the toxic discharges from the pulp and paper processing. There are a number of high quality cost competitive papers that minimise these environmental impacts.

Buying recycled content paper doesn’t mean settling for less. Recycled papers today are just as good and in many instances a lot better than paper made from virgin materials. By buying recycled paper our environment benefits considerably. One ton of recycled paper uses:
        - 64% less energy
        - 50% less water
        - 74% less air pollution, and
        - saves 17 trees.

Paper can be composed of virgin wood-based, recycled and alternative fibres. Virgin wood-based fibre is sourced from native forests and plantations. In many areas, including Victoria and Tasmania, wood fibre comes from high conservation value forests including threatened species habitat and water supply catchment areas.

In Australia monoculture Eucalyptus hardwood plantations provide high quality printing and writing paper and monoculture pine plantations provide low-grade papers including newsprint, cardboard and wrapping paper. A plantation differs greatly to a native forest. They are typically monocultures, established to meet human demands without the mix of trees, different ages, bushes, undergrowth, and accompanying indigenous wildlife that native forests have.

Plantations are usually intensively managed and rely on the heavy use of pesticides, herbicides, fertilisers and often an artificial water supply.

Sustainable Forest Management certification schemes have the potential to enable consumers to support wood products from sustainable forest industries. Unfortunately deciding what the 'right' management system is can be a little more tricky. There are a range of different certification schemes with very different environmental merits. Global environmental organisations such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund promote the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as the most comprehensive sustainable forest certification scheme.

If you are considering a stock that is using virgin wood fibre, avoid fibre sourced from native forests and ask for plantation fibre that has the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) sustainable forest management certification.

High post-consumer recycled content is preferable as this helps maximise the overall environmental gains from paper recycling and encourages maximum usage of the paper in its previous life.

Recycled fibre can be sourced from two categories of scrap waste paper:
a) Pre-consumer waste includes paper recovered from the manufacturing process, ie paper mill scraps, offcuts, trimmings, unsold magazines;
b) Post-consumer waste includes paper that has been used by consumers and would otherwise have ended up in landfill.

Confused by conflicting information surrounding which environmentally friendly office paper to use? There are a few crucial things to consider when choosing an environmentally friendly paper.

a) Paper should be manufactured without chlorine bleaching. Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) is better, but Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) or Process Chlorine Free for recycled paper is the best option.
b) The ‘recycled’ label can be misleading. Choose a recycled paper that uses fibre derived from the highest content post-consumer waste. Some pre-consumer waste may be waste from mills or off-cuts from printers consisting of virgin pulp.
c) If there is a non-recycled component ensure the fibre comes from well managed plantations certified or exceeding the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards.
d) If the label doesn’t list the country of origin, don’t purchase it.
e) Check the corporation producing the paper has a commitment towards forests and is actively reducing environmental impacts (ie: targeting to reduce water and energy usage).

Finally, remember to recycle your paper! If your office is not doing so, call a waste collection company such as VISY 1300 368 479 or one of the smaller paper recyclers to organise recycling.

Make a conscious effort to reduce reliance on paper and cut down paper usage. Recycled paper requires approximately 90 per cent less energy to manufacture than paper made from trees.

Here are several recommended brands of high quality recycled paper in available in Australia.

        - Evolve - 100% recycled post-consumer waste.
        - Vision Pure White - 100% recycled post-consumer waste
        - Fuji Xerox Recycled Supreme - 100% recycled post-consumer waste
        - OfficeWorks Recycled 100% - 100% recycled post-consumer waste
        - Enviro Board Paper (Botany) - 100% recycled, high percentage post-consumer waste
        - Cyclus - 100% recycled, approximately 75 per cent post and 25 per cent pre-consumer waste.