Paper with Purpose...
 We
are committed to creating a more sustainable world though the increased
use of recycled paper. Our Earth Love'n Gift Wrap and Gift Enclosure
Cards are printed on 100% post-consumer waste, processed chlorine free
paper.
What does post-consumer mean? It means the paper fibers
come from previously used home or office paper. Don’t
confuse this with pre-consumer fibers which come from virgin fiber
paper mill scraps made during the paper production process. It’s
the post-consumer fiber that is critical for conservation and pollution
prevention.
What does processed chlorine free (PCF) mean? It means the
paper was manufactured without the use of chlorine compounds. Chlorine
compounds are commonly used in the pulp and paper industry to breakdown
tree fibers and whiten paper. Chlorination produces highly
toxic chemicals such as dioxin, a known human carcinogen. Fortunately,
federal requirements have limited the amount of chlorine in use;
however, there are other less detrimental bleaching alternatives
such as hydrogen peroxide and ozone that do not require chlorine.
Paper Certifications
- Made with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper.
- Certified chlorine-free by the Chlorine Free Products Association.
- Paper is made with certified renewable energy by the Green-e
organization.
Surprising Paper Facts:
- The average American uses 650 pounds of paper a year.
- During the winter holidays, 4 million tons of wrapping paper
and shopping bags are thrown away.
- Paper accounts for over 40% of waste being put into landfills.
Paper Production Problems:
- The paper industry is the largest industrial consumer of water
and the third largest industrial greenhouse gas emitter in 30
industrialized (OECD) countries.
- More than 90% of the printing and writing paper made in the
US is from virgin tree fiber.
- The paper industry is the largest consumer of forest in the
Southern United States, logging an estimated 5 million acres
each year.
- Tree Plantations host about 90% fewer species than the forests
that preceded them.
Recycling Works:
- Just take a look at the Environmental Savings Statement! In
our first print-run of Earth Love’n Gift Wrap we actually
used 4,000 lbs of post-consumer paper. This means that
approximately 118 trees were saved, over 2,000 lbs of emissions
did not go into the atmosphere, and 4,000 lbs of solid waste
was not generated.
- Why are the savings so significant? Well, it takes approximately
1 ton of recycled paper fiber to make 1 ton of new recycled paper;
however, it takes 2 to 3.5 tons of trees to make 1 ton of virgin
paper. Basically, it takes a lot more energy, water, and
chemicals to convert all of those trees into paper… which
also generates a large quantity of solid waste byproducts as
well.
- Using recycled paper just makes sense. When you are buying
paper for your home or office use, purchase paper with the greatest
amount of post-consumer content available.
- Don’t forget to recycle your wrapping paper and stationary
products. All of our products are fully recyclable! You
may also consider reusing our paper before you toss it in the
recycle bin (i.e. for scrap booking, book covers, etc.).
Sources:
Clean Air Council web site, Waste Facts
and Figures
Green Seal, Choose Green Report, 2006
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), OECD Environmental
Outlook, 2001
Co-op America web site, Paper Production and Consumption Facts
United States Forest Service, Southern Forest Research Assessment,
2001
Worldwatch Institute, Paper Cuts: Recovering the Paper Landscape,
1999
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