This post piggybacks on to our January post, “Be Cool. Go Green. Benefits of Using Recycled Paper For Your Identity Materials.” Because we think that recycling is so important and so healthy for our environment and because we’re always learning more about the latest and greatest ways to do our part, we wanted to share our knowledge with you. So, this post focuses on what the paper and printing industry are doing to help reduce our carbon footprint and minimize waste.

Paper companies have long been accused of being wasteful and depreciating our Earth’s resources, but they are now taking steps in the right direction to protect our resources for the future. (Yippee! I don’t know about you, but living in Charleston makes me even more appreciative of trees and their beauty. I can’t imagine seeing one of the gorgeous old oak trees chopped down for the sake of paper making.) Here’s the low-down on what they’re doing and more importantly, what you can do.

PAPER & SUSTAINABILITY

Being sustainable is conserving and caring for our Earth’s resources to assure their long-term survival. Paper manufacturers depend on forests, water and energy. These resources need to be conserved for our sustainability. The manufactures know this and are doing a lot to improve the industry and the manufacturing process.

Below is a chart from Mohawk Papers illustrating the savings from using FSC certified, 100% recycled, made with wind generated electricity Mohawk Color Copy 28lb. text, rather than an equivalent grade made from virgin fiber and produced with non-renewable energy. Pretty shocking.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU?

As the consumer, it is still your job to take advantage of these programs and have your materials printed on paper that utilizes these resources. Some of the different environmentally conscious programs out there are:

Carbon Neutral: Carbon Neutral papers are manufactured with wind generated electricity. The thermal energy used is offset with Verified Emissions Reductions credits (VERs) that fund renewable, emissions free energy projects.

Windpower:
Paper created using energy generated by renewable windpower.

Green Seal:
Green Seal is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to safeguarding the environment and transforming the marketplace by promoting the manufacture, purchase and use of environmentally responsible products and services. www.greeenseal.com

Green-e:
Green-e is the nation’s largest independent certification and verification program for renewable energy products. www.green-e.com

FSC:
FCS or Forest Stewardship Council works towards conserving biological diversity and old growth forests. Their ultimate goal is to slow global climate change. www.fscus.org

Postconsumer Waste Fiber:
Postconsumer waste is material recovered after being used by a consumer, as opposed to waste from the industrial process.

Process Chlorine Free/Elemental Chlorine Free:
PCF papers contain postconsumer recycled fiber that was processed without the use of any additional chlorine or chlorine compounds.

Take Action
By using paper that utilizes the above technology you earn a pat on the back from us at {e} house. But more importantly, you can place the logo of the program your paper uses on your printed piece. This not only promotes the use of environmentally friendly paper, but also lets your customers know that you are environmentally conscious. We think that helps your public image. To download vector art files of the above logos click here.

Some of the paper manufacturers that are involved in these programs and are actively working to reduce their waste and carbon footprint include Mohawk and Neenah.

Our message to you is to be like these paper companies and, “Be Cool. Go Green.” Sound familiar?