Softening Paper’s Environmental Impact

YOUR CUSTOMERS are concerned about the environment. Many of them, in fact, would be happy to pay extra to read publications printed on recycled paper.

According to a recent survey by the Green Press Initiative, Book Business magazine and Co-Op America, 80 percent of book/magazine purchasers said they would be willing to pay more for reading material printed on recycled stock.

Paper manufacturers have been striving to address their customers’ environmental concerns by producing more papers with recycled content, and using pulp from sustainable, responsibly managed forests. They are also showing their environmental concern in other ways: by using wind-generated electricity for manufacturing paper, implementing water and energy management programs, converting wastewater to electricity and removing elemental chlorine from the bleaching process.

By using paper from vendors like these, your in-plant can score “green” points with customers. Here’s a look at what the major suppliers are doing to support a healthier environment.

Environmentally Responsible Paper

Finch, Pruyn & Company’s sustainable forestry practices have earned the prestigious Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, following an extensive inspection by experts from the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program. A SmartWood official called the company “leaders in the growing market for environmentally responsible paper products.” The 141-year-old independent company also generates clean, renewable energy for papermaking through its on-site hydro-electric plant.

Mohawk Fine Papers structures its Environmental Management System around the principles promoted by the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economics. Mohawk was the first paper mill in the U.S. to use wind-generated electricity for manufacturing and the first U.S. paper mill to offer Green Seal-certified papers. Its 50/10 was reportedly the first U.S. coated paper made from post-consumer waste fiber, and its 100% PCW papers are FSC certified.

Mohawk is authorized to provide the Green-e logo for use with its Windpower Portfolio products. To let customers quickly see results of environmental paper specifications, Mohawk provides an online Environmental Calculator on its Web site, www.mohawkpaper.com.

Neenah Paper used the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System as a guide when designing its new headquarters. Neenah chose a sustainable design and ecologically responsible materials.

Neenah also converts its wastewater sludge to steam, electricity and glass aggregate, which helps, in part, to preserve 10 acres per year of green space. Its papers are certified by the FSC and/or Green Seal and are made from 100 percent post-consumer fiber, produced without chlorine or new tree fiber. Customers can use an online Environmental Savings Account tool to calculate the environmental savings (i.e. trees, water/energy consumed, greenhouse gases emitted) of buying recycled papers.

High on Sustainability Scale

Stora Enso is on the Global 100 list of the world’s most sustainable companies. The company has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the seventh consecutive year, receiving the highest possible score in investor relations, environmental reporting, environmental policy and industry-specific environmental management systems. The company is also an active charter member of the Chicago Climate Exchange, a voluntary program for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Stora Enso’s Wood Supply U.S. unit has been third-party-certified for FSC chain of custody for all its purchases of raw wood fiber. Stora Enso has received FSC Forest Management third-party certification for the more than 5,400 acres of Wisconsin forestland it owns and manages. This verifies that Stora Enso’s practices comply with the principles of responsible forest management. Stora Enso wood supply employees avoid purchasing timber that has been harvested illegally or from noxious sources.

Wausau Paper uses more than 45,000 tons of recycled, chlorine-free, post-consumer fiber in its products each year. It offers more than 1,000 items and 16 brands of products carrying Green Seal certification. To prevent pollution and minimize the release of dioxins into the environment, the fiber used to manufacture Wausau Paper products is bleached without the use of elemental chlorine.

Water and energy management programs at each Wausau plant minimize the impact on the environment in which they operate. As a member of Wisconsin’s Green Guarantee Program, Wausau Paper is committed to 100 percent reforestation of forested land within five years of harvest.

While all Weyerhaeuser U.S. forests and paper mills are already independently certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) standard, independent auditors recently certified that the company’s U.S. pulp and paper mills and fine paper converting plants now meet the SFI standard procurement and label use requirements. This gives customers independent verification that products meet rigorous standards of responsible purchasing.

Providing certified products across its product line, Weyerhaeuser can track the source of supply for all logs and chips, monitor its suppliers’ compliance with best management practices and promote sustainable forest practices among its suppliers. IPG

Environmentally Responsible Choices

NCR PAPER Brand Recover from Appleton is a recycled carbonless paper featuring bright white top sheets and clean underlying colored sheets that run, print and look like “virgin” paper. Recover is manufactured with 50 percent recovered fiber, 30 percent of which is post-consumer waste, as a percentage of its total weight, including coatings. These specifications meet federal guidelines for post-consumer waste content. Available in rolls and sheets, Recover is produced with consistent 19-pound plies. All of Appleton’s NCR PAPER Brand carbonless grades are recyclable.

Boise ASPEN 100 paper is made of 100 percent post-consumer fiber without the use of chlorine or chlorine compounds. It features a 92-brightness rating and shares the same paper-making specifications as non-recycled papers. ASPEN 100 paper exceeds state and federal guidelines for post-consumer content. It is engineered for use in high-speed copiers and printers. ASPEN 100 paper is a 20-lb. acid-free sheet available in 8.5x11˝, 8.5x11˝ 3-hole punch, 8.5x14˝ and 11x17˝.

For the recycled envelope market, Boise offers new Boise 100% RC Wove Envelope, a 100 percent post-consumer recycled content envelope paper with the printability and convertibility of virgin wove papers. This grade is offered in 24#, with a 92 bright, blue-white shade.

Finch, Pruyn & Co. has four Finch Paper products with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification indicating they are made from wood harvested responsibly from well-managed forests. Finch Fine uncoated text and cover paper boasts 98 brightness, excellent formation and outstanding printing performance. Finch Fine Digital is designed for cross-platform performance on all digital and offset presses. Finch Color Copier has 98 brightness and a new surface for better toner adhesion and more vivid color reproduction. New Finch Fine iD is designed for HP Indigo digital presses.

Known for its high environmental standards and sustainable practices, Mohawk Fine Papers manufactures Strathmore Script with wind-generated electricity. It includes 30 percent and 100 percent post-consumer waste choices. All 100 percent PCW papers are FSC certified. With matching envelopes available, Strathmore Script provides everything needed for environmentally sound identity programs. Also manufactured with non-polluting windpower is the Mohawk Color Copy line, a portfolio of five uncoated and gloss products, including Mohawk Color Copy 100% Recycled.

Neenah’s range of environmentally responsible papers includes two categories of ENVIRONMENT Papers that have received FSC certification—one for 100 percent post-consumer fiber and one for a combination of FSC fiber and post-consumer fiber. The brand also includes ENVIRONMENT Alternative Fiber and ENVIRONMENT 100% Recycled Papers. In addition, 20 colors of ENVIRONMENT Papers have received Green Seal Certification.

All of the pulp manufactured or purchased for the production of Stora Enso’s Futura Laser is elemental chlorine free. It is a 96 brightness coated digital paper engineered for optimal performance in dry- and liquid-toner technologies. Its precision sheeting and stable formation boost productivity on both digital and offset applications. Futura Laser Gloss and Dull come in 80-lb. and 100-lb. text and cover basis weights and Gloss 120-lb. cover in sizes from 8.5x11˝ to 20.5x14.3˝.

Stora Enso’s Centura contains a minimum 10 percent post-consumer recycled content, and also comprises only elemental chlorine-free pulp. It comes in in Gloss, Silk, Dull and Matte finishes in sheets and rolls. Basis weights range from 70 lb. text through 130 lb. cover.

Wausau Paper Exact Digital, a line of presentation-quality coated and uncoated digital papers, provides an array of acid-free and lignin-free options formulated for digital printing. All uncoated papers are made with 30 percent post-consumer fiber and carry Green Seal certification. Basis weights range from 20-lb. writing to 80-lb. cover, with most carrying a 96 brightness rating.

Wausau Paper Exact Eco 100, a multi-purpose white paper for ink-jet, laser, copier and offset applications, is made with 100 percent post-consumer fiber and is both Green Seal and FSC certified. It carries a 90 brightness level, a basis weight of 20 lb. writing and comes in three sizes.

Weyerhaeuser’s recycled products include Cougar and Lynx Opaque with 10 percent recycled content. Cougar, a premium #1 opaque printing paper, combines 98 brightness, high opacity, print quality and consistent performance. Available in both white and natural, Cougar has added 130-lb. and 160-lb. double-thick covers to its range of sizes and weights.

Weyerhaeuser’s Lynx Opaque offers a brilliant 96 brightness for rich color reproduction and crisp, clean text. Both Cougar and Lynx are made acid free for archival quality and offer a broad product offering in text and cover weights including digital guaranteed sizes.