Recycled Paper

• It uses less energy and creates fewer emissions than virgin paper
• It supports UK recycling companies and provides a market for UK paper waste
• It reduces the amount of waste paper going to landfill
• It is the only way to be sure that your paper hasn’t had a detrimental effect on any forest environment

Superficially it’s quite straightforward: waste paper and board is collected, sorted and then purchased by paper mills to be re-used.

However, there are varying definitions of genuine recycled paper. General thinking is to encourage the highest post-consumer recycled content whenever possible, providing that ‘fitness for purpose’ and performance criteria are taken into consideration. Look out for the percentage of post consumer recycled waste when choosing a paper.

The quality of the original waste fibre will dictate how it is re-used – good quality white waste will be re-used in high quality recycled or part recycled papers; at the other extreme, low-grade recycled packaging will be re-used (again) for packaging materials.

What about Quality and Performance?Improvements in the quality of the recycled paper grades now available mean that their quality and performance is equal to that of virgin paper, particularly if choosing top of the range recycled papers made from 100% de-inked waste, such as the 9lives and Revive brands we use.

Recycled Paper is More Expensive – Right? Wrong! Recycled paper has aligned with conventional paper prices in recent years due to increase in demand, refinement of the papermaking process and the significant reduction in energy and water needed to make recyled paper compared to conventional paper.

What is Post-Consumer Waste? This is paper that has been used by the consumer and returned for recycling, thus keeping it out of a landfill. The more post-consumer waste that is incorporated into recycled material the better!

What is Virgin Fibre? Virgin fibre is new fibre that has never been used by a manufacturer before to make paper or other products.

What is Pre-Consumer Waste? Pre-consumer waste is the material that occurs as a by-product to the printing process, such as off-cuts and unused copies which may have been over-ordered. Also known as post-industrial waste.

What is acid free paper? Acid free paper has had the acid removed from the pulp leaving it with a neutral pH of 7.

Choosing to use recycled paper is an ethical issue and down to either personal or company attitudes towards CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility. However, using recycled paper will:-

1. Reduce landfill – using recycled paper diverts waste paper from entering landfills. Landfills are a source of methane emissions, which are a contributor to global warming. What is equally important is that landfills are rapidly becoming full, and fewer new sites are available.
2. Continue the demand for recycled materials – recycling is only viable if end-markets are created for the products made from recovered waste paper.
3. Place less strain on global forest resources – paper recycling optimises the use of a valuable material and reduces the amount of virgin pulp required. Although forests are increasingly managed in a sustainable way there is a need to reduce wastage by using more recycled content

The Forest Stewardship Council – FSC – is an international non-profit organisation founded in 1993 to support the world’s forests.FSC members comprise a diverse group of representatives from environmental and social groups, the timber trade, paper industry, forestry profession, indigenous people’s organisations, community forestry groups and forest product certification organisations from around the world.

It is their job to ensure that the forests are managed to protect wildlife habitat and respect the rights of local communities.

The FSC Principles of forest stewardship include consideration for Indigenous people’s rights, Environmental impact and Maintenance of high conservation value forest.

Using FSC Papers for your printing is an effective way to demonstrate your commitment to sustainability. Many companies are increasingly specifying FSC Papers as their pledge to a greener world. Why don’t you?FSC Certified Paper tells you exactly what you need to know; that the recycled or virgin fibre content of the paper comes from sources that meet FSC international standards.

FSC certification is widely accepted to be the most stringent. Unlike other schemes, the emphasis is on tracking fibre all the way from the forest to the end use, so the user can be certain of the fibres origins.

This is why FSC is the only certification system supported by environmental organisations such as the World Wildlife Fund, Rain Forest Alliance, Greenpeace, Woodland Trust and Friends of the Earth.