The
paper we know and use today—made from trees—has
its roots in the mid-19th Century (previously, paper was made
from rags and other natural fibers). With the increase in
literacy and the shortage of rags, people turned their attention
to other cellulose sources, such as trees. While the demand
for virgin paper has increased, the clearing of forests and
the pollution it created hasn’t been a concern for 150
years. But what people have come to realize is that these
resources are not unlimited, and unless we find creative and
economical solutions to satisfy our needs, we are not going
to be able to sustain our demands in the long run.
What’s
so unsustainable about paper production? Unfortunately, what
most people don’t know is that “virgin”
paper production is the third largest generator of air toxins,
waste and water pollutants in the world, and among the largest
in energy and fresh water consumption. Not to mention the
clearing of non-sustainably harvested forests which also affect
ecosystems. In contrast, one ton of recycled paper uses 64%
less energy, 50% less water, produces 74% less air pollution,
saves 17 trees, and creates 5 times more jobs than one ton
of paper products from virgin wood pulp. (EPA)
It
used to be that the quality of recycled paper was subpar to
the virgin counterpart, but that isn’t the case anymore.
Technology and market acceptance have made improvements possible
in quality and technical specifications of recycled paper.
It has generally cost more because the recycled pulp has been
negotiated in the open market, as opposed to a paper mill
that already has the infrastructure to produce its own paper
from its own virgin pulp.
If
we consider that 90% of paper in homes and businesses are
discarded within a year (Conservatree),
we begin to see the importance of recycling the fibers of
virgin paper—which can be reused 12 times. Recycled
paper may contain 2 sets of information: Preconsumer waste
and Postconsumer waste. Preconsumer waste is basically scraps
of virgin paper that can be turned into pulp again, and Postconsumer
waste (PCW) is the recovered paper products that have been
collected from homes and businesses. While the Federal Trade
Commission specifies that only recovered materials qualify
as recycled paper (scraps from paper mills), and no Postconsumer
waste is required, the inclusion of PCW means that the paper
has a higher content of reused materials, meaning less paper
will end up in the landfills.
When
specifying paper, I've found these links to be very useful:
http://www.celerydesign.com/paper/matrix.html
http://www.conservatree.org/paper/PaperMasterList.shtml
http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/greenpages/results.cfm?category=P4
http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/greenpages/results.cfm?category=P3
©
2006 Designarchy
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