In an open
letter to the industry published on
WhatTheyThink.com,
Charlie Corr wrote of the industry's total lack of effective marketing on the green aspects inherent in the printing process - particularly paper. Here is an alternative perspective.
Paper FactsPaper is indeed made from cellulose fiber that can be sourced from many different plant species including trees. Almost all virgin paper is manufactured by virgin trees found in monoculture farms to old growth forests. The Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC) endorsement of monoculture tree farms are under scrutiny by certain watch groups like the
Global Forest Coalition who oppose the practice. Depletion of the water table, loss of biodiversity, destruction of natural habitat, pollution from agro-chemicals, and degradation of the soil due to a single tree species, are just a few of the findings of the coalition's field study at a tree farm in South Africa. These examples just illustrate the biological impacts of the practice but economic and cultural impacts also exist from labor safety to the exploitation of fringe workforces.
Beyond the original sourcing of the raw materials used in paper manufacturing, there are also significant amounts of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCS), incudling dioxins, released in the process. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, paper mills release 66% of their total Toxic Release Inventory into the air. Anyone who has driven within miles of a paper mill can attest to the foul smell of rotten eggs given off by sulfuric acid.
According to Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data from SIC codes 261-263, the pulp and paper industry released (to the air, water, or land) and transferred (shipped off-site) a total of approximately 263 million pounds of toxic chemicals during calendar year 2000. - EPA
As of 2006, the paper industry actually has the 5th highest TRI of all industry segments. Only metal mining, electric utilities, chemicals, and primary metals, industries have higher toxic footprints.
Since paper is the largest single source of material within printing, a responsible print industry should be applying upward pressure on all of their suppliers. Paper that is sustainably sourced from mixed growth forests, manufactured with the least amount chemicals, and documented with chain of custody procedure, would be a great starting point.
Paper is BiodegradableMaybe. A more accurate statement would be that cellulose fiber is biodegradable. Most consumer paper products, from copier paper to wrapping paper to grocery bags, have additional processes and chemicals treatments applied during manufacturing. First, the kraft pulp has to go through a complex, multi stage bleaching process that almost always includes the chemical chlorine. Today most paper manufacturers do not use elemental chlorine because of the severe environmental impact caused to the water stream, the industry has still been slow to adopt a Total Chlorine Free (TCF) process according to research done by Austrailian Commonweath Scientific Research Organization (
CSIRO).
TCF bleaching technology developed by European and American companies is used in Sweden, Finland and the US. Only 5 – 6% of the kraft pulp produced in the world is produced by TCF processes and the majority of that pulp is sold and used in Germany. By contrast, around 75% of the bleached kraft pulp produced worldwide is produced by ECF processes and is used to make the highest quality white printing and writing papers. The remaining 19 - 20% of bleached kraft pulp is made by older bleaching processes that use elemental chlorine. - CSIRO
In 2007, 32% percent of the solid waste stream (everything sent for garbage collection) in the U.S. was paper and paper products. We, as a nation, crank out 83 million tons of wasted paper and paper products in a year! Even with current recycling rates as a whole estimated at 54.5%, this still leaves 45 million tons of paper going into our landfills
(EPA's Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2007). The demposing of paper along with the other discarded items in our solid waste stream produce one of the most damaging greenhouse gases - methane. Although most of the global warming media reports have centered on carbon dioxide as the most threatening of the greenhouse gases, methane actually packs more of a punch albeit for a shorter period of time. Understanding that landfills are the greatest anthropogenic (human-related) source of Methane, the EPA started an initiative to siphon off the methane releases for use as energy in industrial applications through the Landfill Methane Outreach Program. Companies from
SC Johnson to
BWM have found significant cost savings by utilizing methane as an energy source. Although significant progress has been made by the LFOP program, the EPA estimates that over 520 additional small scale landfills within the US can also cut methane emissions by converting the gas into an energy source.
Paper is RecyclableIt is true that paper and paperboard recycling rates have risen over the past few years to
54.5%. This still indicates that 45.5% of all paper content is not recycled - not a smashing success. The industry should take a more organized and marketed approach for recycling of all paper across all operational apsects of the print shop. Too often it is easier to start with the most obvious waste producer, the press, for paper recycling and then stop. Examine all paper waste streams including typical interoffice printing. Utilize technology, like remote color accurate soft proofing, to completely eliminate a waste stream. As typical with conservation and waste reduction, such actions often carry a financial incentive that applies to the bottom line.
Paper is Critical to the EconomyThe forest products and printing industries are large cogs in the wheel of the economy. Upon further examination, however, the print industries significance to the larger economy has been in steady decline recently. According to the
Bureau of Economic Analysis, the value that printing adds to the total GDP has dropped by around 14% over the last nine years. Other factors are also transforming the general print landscape both within the industry and outside the industry. Technology represents the most disruptive external catalyst by changing the way once printed material is distributed.
Paper is EfficientCurrently there is no other medium as efficient as the printed sheet. Every printed piece, however, should have intrinsic added value for the intended audience. Does anyone really need another Chinese restuarant menu stuck in their mailbox? It should be the printer's moral and social obligation to guide their clients toward the best medium to reach the maximum audience with the best possible results. Print is not always the solution no matter how efficient the industry perceives it to be.
There is really no downside to suggesting that someone should print
only what they need, even if it means printing less. Sooner or later
they will figure it out for themselves. - Alen Rokolj, V.P. of Green Printer
A Call to Action = Personal ActionI work for a print manufacturer. I have chosen to include the tagline "Paper - The Original Recyclable. Please print responsibly!" in the signature of every e-mail. Why is this not contrary to the industry and my employer? It is a simple reminder that we all should be cognisant of our actions because every action has a reaction. As an industry and society, we must begin to evaluate what adds value through being produced versus what just ends up in our waste bins.