Spotlight on Clients making an eco-conscious paper choice

Young's Printing salutes our clients who have made an environmentally conscious choice in paper.  Spotlighted in this blog are Liberty Bank, The Rockfall Foundation, and The Rye County Day School.

 

 Liberty Bank is the oldest mutual bank in the State of Connecticut and has 38 branches located throughout central, eastern, and shoreline Connecticut.

Liberty Bank's deposit and acknowledgment slips, as well as several forms are now printed on a Rolland Opaque50 paper that is 50% post-consumer recycled and 50% FSC certified fiber, meaning that it is sourced from well-managed forests.  Opaque50 is also process elemental chlorine free.  This paper is FSC certified t.

Liberty's previous paper choice did not contain any post-consumer recycled materials.  The brightness quality with their new paper choice has even improved despite the recycled content!

The Rockfall Foundation is one of Connecticut's oldest environmental organizations and supports environmental education, conservation and planning initiatives in Middlesex County. Their mission is to be a catalyst--bringing people together and supporting organizations to conserve and enhance the county's natural environment.

The Rockfall Foundation's generates its Chronicle newsletter, letterhead, envelopes, and invitations on Neenah PC100 natural paper.  This paper is a sustainable choice that is made from 100% post consumer fiber and is process chlorine free. This paper is FSC certified, 100% Green-e certified, Green Seal certified, and Carbon Neutral Plus.  

Rockfall's previous paper choice was a mix of virgin and recycled fiber, but their new paper choice has improved to 100% recycled materials and the quality of the paper's brightness and opacity remain high.

Rye Country Day School located in Rye, NY is a co-educational, college preparatory school dedicated to providing students from pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 with an excellent education using both traditional and innovative approaches. 

The Rye Country Day School has just recently begun printing it's capital campaign newsletter on Primavera Silk paper produced by New Leaf, that is made from 80% recycled content, three-quarters of which is post-consumer waste. The remaining 20% is FSC certified.  It is also elemental chlorine free. This paper like the other post consumer material papers listed in this blog has a high brightness quality of 93. 

We applaud these and all Young's Printing clients who have made the choice to switch to sustainable paper sources.  They have found that being environmentally friendly does not require sacrificing paper quality.

Eco-Paper 101: Making the Right Choice

In today's printing world there are numerous choices when it comes to selecting paper and the environment.  As a consumer, your choice should be an informed one!

When selecting a paper for your project, some important factors to consider are:

• Price
• Whiteness
• Brightness
• Opacity
• The Environment

This post looks at some of the main environmental considerations.

How does paper rank in regard to the environment?

There are many factors to consider when determining what is the most environmentally friendly choice, such as:  What source was the paper made from (virgin wood, recycled, or alternative non-tree sources), what chemicals were involved in its processing, and how far does it need to travel.
Although virgin papers may not be as environmentally friendly as recycled alternatives, if your choice is to use virgin paper, consider using one that comes from a managed forest and has been certified by an organization such as the Forest Stewardship Council.

To help you understand the environmental impact of different types of paper, we have included the following paper steps rating chart created by WhatsInYourPaper.com:

Want To See The Numbers?

In this chart, the Environmental Defense Fund compares the major environmental inputs and outputs from producing different types of paper:  1 ton of virgin paper, 1 ton of 50% recycled paper, and one ton of 100% recycled paper.  Clearly, the recycled option is the least harmful.

Chemical Processing:

There are several bleaching processes that are involved in producing paper.  The least environmentally friendly are ones that involve chlorine because they produce dioxins and other chemical pollutants in the process.  Just as there are eco-friendly alternatives to obtain pulp, there is also an eco-hierarchy in chemical processing as illustrated below:

The Transportation factor:

Buying local is environmentally the best choice because transportation consumes energy and produces greenhouse gases, particularly because paper is so heavy.  Moreover, it is important to consider the supply chain.  For example, a mill may be local but its source pulp comes from across the globe.

In Conclusion:

When it comes to choosing the environmentally-friendly paper, look for a high percentage of post-consumer recycled materials.  If there is no good recycled option, the next best choice is paper sourced from responsibly managed forests.  Look for chlorine-free certifications, and of course, buy local!

Young's Printing is proud to offer an extremely broad selection of papers.  As you can see, the environmental considerations alone can be daunting, and we may have barely skimmed the surface in this post.  We are happy to consult with you to make sure you make the right paper choice for your next printing project.

Have a different point of view?  Did we miss some critical elements in the eco-equation?  Please respond to this blog and let us--and the rest of the blogosphere know!

Eco-Friendly Printing