British Parliament: Calfskin Out, Archival Paper In

For centuries, acts of Parliament and other important documents have been inscribed on vellum, a parchment made from calfskin.

The House of Lords, Britain’s unelected upper chamber of Parliament, is finally moving to replace the calfskin with high-quality archival paper, calling the move which will come into force in April a necessary — and thrifty — adaptation to the digital age.