We care about the environment and about the future of our children, so we take care to consider paper stocks and printing practices that are environmentally responsible.
Some of the initiatives that we implement include;
- Preferring to use printing companies who are FSC accredited.
- Preferring to choose FSC paper stocks (Forest Stewardship Council) certified papers
- Recycling toner cartridges and office paper
- Using 100% recycled office paper made from post-consumer waste & recycled envelopes
- Preferring to use papers that are not chlorine bleached
- Minimising the use of electricity
- Maximising the use of natural light
- Preferring to work with eco-friendly printing companies that;
- replace solvent-based inks with vegetable based inks
- reduce the use of isopropyl alcohol from presses
- install rainwater tanks for use in water treatment processes for the printing presses
- direct to plate printing (reducing the use of film and associated chemicals and waste)
- encourage customers to use FSC certified papers
Green Paper Options
Today, paper is made in many environmentally responsible forms, from a variety of fibres. Paper can be manufactured from partly to fully recycled materials using pre and post consumer waste. It can be produced without chlorine bleaching. Paper can also be derived from sustainable forests, where trees are farmed specifically for paper production. Or produced from plant fibres other than timber such as cotton, hemp, bamboo or sugar cane.
Essentially, paper can be made from virgin wood, recycled materials or tree free.
Virgin wood
Virgin paper comes directly from trees and is sourced from native forests and plantations. It contains the strongest fibre but requires the most energy to manufacture and has the most immediate impact on the forest. However, that impact may be diminished if the pulp is harvested from a source that is part of a sustainable forest certification program.
When specifying virgin papers, we ensure that the pulp comes from a sustainable source and not from native forests. And that paper is made from plantation fibre that has a sustainable forest certification such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) schemes.
Recycled product
The use of recycled paper has grown significantly. Recycling allows the same fibre to be used and reused many times over. Recovered fibre now provides almost 48% of the Australian paper manufacturing sector’s fibre needs and Australia’s overall paper and cardboard recovery and recycling rate is estimated at 64%.
Recycled paper uses less energy and produces fewer emissions in manufacturing than virgin paper. Content may include pre consumer waste, post consumer waste, totally recycled fibre or blends of each. Recycled paper has dramatically improved in quality over the past decade, in most cases performing as well as virgin paper and has become cost competitive.
Tree free
Tree free is plant fibre that is either agricultural residue recovered from crops or fibres harvested from plants grown intentionally for tree free paper. The most common of which are kenaf, hemp, flax, cotton, rice and sugar cane waste. In addition to their environmental value, plant fibres such as kenaf and hemp, with their combination of long and short fibres, tend to be more durable. These fibres can be mixed with recycled paper fibres to produce excellent quality paper.
Chlorine Bleaching
For many years, elemental chlorine was used to bleach pulp to make it white and improve paper strength, absorbency and softness. This process created a hazardous by-product that adversely affected aquatic eco-systems throughout the world.
Today, most North American and European pulp mills have found alternative, environmentally safer methods for bleaching pulp, viz
Process Chlorine free (PCF)
PCF indicates that no chlorine was used in the pulp and papermaking processes. The fibres have not been re-bleached with chlorine though some chlorine may remain from the manufacture of the source material.
Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF)
ECF denotes the use of a chlorine derivative (usually chlorine dioxide) instead of elemental chlorine for whitening in the pulping process and has become the most widespread replacement for elemental chlorine. The European Commission recognise it as “the best available technology”.
Totally Chlorine Free (TCF)
TCF designates virgin pulp and warrants that no chlorine or chlorine compounds are used in the pulping process. Thanks to recent process improvements, many TCF papers now approach the brightness levels of ECF papers.
Environmental Management Systems
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
An FSC label indicates that the wood used to make the product comes from a forest that is well managed according to strict social and economic standards. The forest of origin has been independently inspected and evaluated according to the principles and criteria for forest management as approved by the Forest Stewardship Council.
FSC 100%
FSC 100% is material that comes from forests certified as meeting the environmental and social standards or the Forest Stewardship Council.
FSC Recycled
FSC recycled is certified post-consumer reclaimed material from products that have already been used.
FSC Mixed Sources
FSC mixed sources is material that comes from FSC certified forests, company controlled sources and/or post-consumer reclaimed material.
International Standard for Standardisation (ISO 14001)
The ISO is a network of the national standards institute of 157 countries that sets international business and manufacturing standards. ISO14001 is a standard for environmental management.
Companies attaining an ISO14001 certification have developed both a comprehensive system to minimise harmful effects on the environment caused by manufacturing, and a process to continually improve environmental performance.
Before a certification is awarded, compliance to the standard is verified by an independent auditing organisation.
Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)
EMAS is the European Union’s environmental management system. EMAS registered organisations are legally compliant, run an environment management system and report on their environmental performance through the publication of an independently verified environmental statement.
Integrated Pollution Prevention (IPPC)
IPPC seeks to prevent or minimise air, water and soil pollution by emissions from industrial installations in the community.
Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification Scheme (PEFC)
The PEFC is a framework for auditing forestry operations, taking into account the effects on the environment and for promoting sustainable forest management.
Canadian Standards Association (CSA)
Canadian Standards Association is an independent not for profit organisation that implements and audits a sustainable forest management standard developed by the Canadian timber industry.
Labeling
FSC Label
Products with an FSC label mean that the fibre comes from FSC certified forest or recycled content from a controlled source and is Chain of Custody (CoC) certified. These papers can carry the FSC logo imprint.
Finsbury Green is one of Savvy Graphics preferred printers and was one of the first FSC certified printers in Australia.
As a certified printer they purchase FSC certified paper from certified paper merchants to complete the CoC. Only printers who are CoC certified can label their products with the FSC logo imprint.
PEFC Label
PEFC also provides a CoC certified labelling system. Only products which contain at least 70% PEFC certified material can be labelled with the logo.
Nordic Swan
The Nordic Swan is a highly regarded European label awarded by the Environmental Labelling board of the Nordic Council of Members.
Sixty seven percent of people in the Nordic countries understand the Swan, so the label is well known.
Greenhouse Friendly™
The Australian Government’s Department of Climate Change has developed its Greenhouse Friendly initiative, which now forms part of the Australian Government’s Greenhouse Challenge Plus program.
To obtain the Greenhouse Friendly carbon neutral certification, a product must have 100% of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the life cycle of the product, offset through approved greenhouse gas abatement measures.
So how do you know which paper to choose?
A variety of ‘green’ initiatives are implemented throughout the industry. Many papers are manufactured using a combination of these attributes and at Savvy Graphics we can advise you in your selection, supply paper samples and even mock-ups for your specific project.