In today’s print market, more and more buyers are looking to shift to a more “environmentally friendly” paper stock.
It is no longer enough to say a paper is “green” – the more informed consumer needs to know how the paper is made nd where it is shipped from. Generally, using a recycled paper is less energy intensive than making paper from virgin fibre. Less water and chemicals are used in the process and using post-consumer waste encourages and supports recycling schemes.
The recycling process involves pulping the fibre, screening and then de-inking (and possibly bleaching). The quality of the recycled fibre determines how it will be used – high quality fibre is used in high quality recycled products. The recycled content can be classified as pre or post consumer waste. Pre-consumer is waste from the mill,
or printers off cuts and overs, post-consumer waste is paper that has been printed, used then collected again.
There will always be a need for virgin fibre, as paper cannot be recycled endlessly, each time it is processed the
fibre length is decreased. Obviously it is preferable if the fibre comes from a sustainable source – like a managed
forest rather than fresh woodland. In schemes such as the Forest Stewardship Council, an international non-governmental body, it is now possible to trace the source of the fibre to well managed, sustainable forests that take into account the environmental, social and economic factors of the local region.
The FSC chain of custody ensures that the fibre remains uncontaminated from forest to printer (who must also be
accredited) and means the final product can carry the FSC mark. There is also an FSC Recycled Mark, which can be used when the recycled content is at least 85% post-consumer waste and up to 15% pre-consumer waste.
With increased demand for such products, there is now a much wider choice of recycled paper available from the major paper distributors in the UK. For example, Revive by Robert Horne.This range covers uncoated, “touchy feely” stock through to more printable 100% recycled silk and even a recycled gloss (75%). The paper making industry is adapting to the high cost of energy – some paper manufacturers are now using hydroelectric power or even wind power to supply the mill (e.g. GF Smith’s Mowhawk Range) where others use the by products of the process as a bio-fuel.
Finally, the number of transport miles the paper travels to the printer could be a factor is specifying a paper
type. There is little point using a paper made in America when a similar paper is available in the UK. Next time you are considering a paper stock for a special project, why not ask for a quote for an alternative environmental stock?
Andy Tucker, Production Manager, May 2008