Purchasing
Environmentally Friendly Paper Products
Environmental
matters are now a major concern in the jansan industry. More and more customers
are seeking “green” products that remain price competitive and highly
efficient.
Finding “green”
paper products might seem to be an easy task. In the pulp and paper industry
there are many competing environmental certifications that focus on different
criteria but not competing standards. First party claims, where a company
certifies itself as green; and contentious certifications following fibre
content are only to be avoided. In fact, most certifications set very low
minimum requirements that are not adequate for today’s standards.
Buying a 100 per
cent recycled paper product should not be your only guiding criterion. When
purchasing “green” paper products, many other aspects are a lot more essential:
- Post-consumer content (materials
recuperated through recycling programs from homes, retail stores, office
buildings, etc., after they have completed their intended use as consumer
items. Post-consumer is part of the broader category of “recovered or
recycled materials”).
- Chlorine-Free bleaching process:
The usage of chlorinated products in the whitening or de-inking processes
contributes to the formation of very toxic substances in the environment
such as dioxins and furans.
- Paper manufacturers’ greenhouse
gas emissions and energy consumption.
- Paper manufacturers’ usage and
recycling of water. Water is a valuable resource absolutely essential in
the paper making process. Its consumption varies tremendously across the
industry.
To easily identify
companies that have successfully implemented “green” programs, jansan
professionals have asked: “For paper products, is there a ranking process that
represents the level a company works at sustainability?”
The SI
(Sustainability Index), created by the Chlorine Free Products Association
(CFPA) is THE most accurate answer. The SI is a simple numerical ranking that
allows the pulp and paper industry, consumers and mills to compare and rank
environmental performance on multiple economic, social and environmentally
preferred points.
The SI takes the
guesswork out of which products to purchase based on a number of criteria. The
index encompasses factors like recycling, forestry, chlorine-free chemistry and
carbon gas, then aligns them to manufacturing steps. Starting with a chain of
custody from raw material extraction, collection and recycling, to the
manufacturing process and finished product, every step is analyzed, rated and ranked
by third party auditors.
With SI, finding
sustainable products – and knowing who makes them – is easy. Consumer,
suppliers and organizations will readily know who is working as environmental
stewards, versus those who self-proclaim environmental protection. Just look
for the number and visit www.chlorinefreeproducts.org.
Everybody can make
a difference. For instance, did you know that every ton of recycled papers:
- Saves 20 trees.
- Is equivalent to 8000 rolls of
bathroom tissue or 3250 rolls of paper towel.
- Takes up to 71 ft(3) of landfill.
Furthermore, a
single person can recycle more than one pound of paper daily. Think about what
you can do today to protect our environment.
