All About Eco-Friendly Papers and Their Benefits

Have you ever thought about where the paper on your desks came from? They are considered essential supplies in schools and offices, but did you know they have a significant impact on the environment?

Traditionally, paper is made from wood pulp sourced from freshly cut trees in the forest. Cutting down wild trees to manufacture paper is a serious concern as it leads to deforestation and ecological imbalance. It causes wildlife displacement and many other negative effects. The world consumes approximately 300 million tons of paper annually. Just imagine how many trees (and animals) have to die just to fill that need.

The good news is there are alternatives to traditional paper available to us from paper suppliers. Eco-friendly paper is known for its lower carbon footprint and overall environment-friendliness. Here is what you need to know about eco-friendly paper.

What is eco-friendly paper?

As the term implies, eco-friendly paper is a type of paper that is greener and more sustainable than traditional paper. There are several types of eco-friendly paper, two of which are recycled paper and FSC-certified paper. Both options are favoured for their positive environmental impact, but they are different in some aspects. They are available at the office and school supply stores, but they remain outnumbered by traditional paper products.

Recycled paper

Recycled paper is manufactured from post-consumer waste, whereas traditional paper uses wood pulp from freshly cut trees. This feature alone makes the recycled paper a greener way to meet the demand for paper products while preventing deforestation. Used paper products such as food cartons, product packages, and old notebooks can be recycled into this type of paper.

Trees help reduce particulates in the air, making it possible to lower air pollution levels. According to an article by The Guardian, the benefits of paper recycling go beyond saving trees. For instance, recycling approximately one ton of paper lowers greenhouse gas emissions by one ton of carbon equivalent and conserves around 7,000 gallons of water. Recycled paper truly offers opportunities to join the global movement towards a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable Earth.

When buying recycled paper, learn about the percentage of recycled materials in the product. This is because not all recycled papers are made with 100% post-consumer materials. Others still contain a certain percentage of fresh wood pulps. Check the label on the packaging to learn about these details and try to go for ones with the highest percentage of recycled materials.

FSC-certified paper

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a non-profit organization that endeavours to protect the world’s forests by supervising and supporting timber productions. They are composed of businesses, environmentalists, and community leaders who are working closely with the timber industry to ensure forests are sustainably managed and protected.

Part of their duty is giving certifications to manufacturers of paper and other types of paper materials. FSC-certified paper products are known for being manufactured with sustainable organization-approved practices. What’s great with FSC is they also factor in the ethical treatment of people. They do not give certifications to companies that displace indigenous people to produce timber. The organization has certified at least 174 million hectares of forests in different countries.

FSC-certified papers are clearly labelled as such. One major appeal of FSC-certified paper is that they look the same as traditional paper. This is why people who refuse to use recycled paper due to its texture and colour prefer FSC-certified paper.

Choosing recycled paper or its FSC-certified counterpart might sound like a simple task, but if you look at its impact, you will realize that it is a big step towards environment-friendliness and sustainability. The next time you go to the office supply store, make sure to consider buying only eco-friendly papers.