[GreenYes] Re: recycled paper in trouble?

[Susan Kinsella <susan@no.address>]

It¹s accurate that more than 90% of printing & writing paper has no recycled
content at all. This includes almost all the paper used in offices, and for
printing magazines, catalogs, books, direct mail, reports, flyers, posters,
and more. Only 6% of the fiber used to make printing & office paper is from
recycled pulp, and that includes both preconsumer and postconsumer content.

People do seem to believe that ³all paper has recycled content,² both
because they think their curbside collection programs result in all products
being made with those materials (and they think that collection alone is
³recycling²) and because paper sellers often tell them ³don¹t worry, all the
paper has recycled content² so that customers will buy whatever they have.

Thanks to the Union of Concerned Scientists for letting people know how
important it is to look for labeling that indicates recycled content! If
paper with 100% recycled content is not available or costs more than a buyer
is able to pay, then paper with a partial recycled content (30% or more for
uncoated papers) is also an excellent choice. These support the health of
the recycling system and the manufacturers that make recycled pulp and
paper, show people that recycled paper is totally fine in their office and
printing equipment, and are often competitively priced with virgin paper.

At the same time, if the paper has some virgin fiber in it (because it¹s not
100% recycled), it¹s important to find out whether the virgin wood fiber was
sustainably harvested. There are increasing numbers of papers available that
are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, including papers with 100%
recycled content. But choosing a paper that is ONLY FSC-certified, with no
recycled content, still results in a 100% virgin paper. It¹s one of those
situations when both are really important.

In addition to the link to Conservatree¹s paper listings for professional
buyers that was included in the Greentips, we also now have lists of papers
that are easy to find for people buying in individual or small quantities.
They are linked from our home page, http://www.conservatree.org

And if you know of places in your local community that sell recycled paper,
please shoot us an e-mail to let us know and we¹ll add them to our Local
Sources pages. 

Thanks!

Susan

-- 
Susan Kinsella
Executive Director
Conservatree
Phone - 415/561-6526
E-mail Fax - 509/756-6987
susan@no.address, seek@no.address
skype - susanekinsella
http://www.conservatree.org




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