Why recycled?
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 As stated elsewhere, we firmly believe in the principles of Reduce, Reuse and then Recycle and this can be applied to both the home and office environment. Where there is still a need for stationery, the consumer should have a choice in the materials used.

A great deal of information is available on the merits of recycled paper and board and also on stock produced from trees from managed forests. It is not so easy to get to the bottom of their relative merits. Our research has convinced us that there is a clear merit in using recycled paper wherever possible.

There are simple environmental advantages to using recycled paper and board:
  • It closes the loop. Paper is increasingly collected for recycling; there needs to be a market for the recycled product for it to be economically viable and to continue.
  • Paper that is recycled is diverted away from landfill sites. In the UK, there is growing concern for the speed with which these are filling up and the lack of space for new sites.
A further consideration is that due to the continued demand for paper, old forests are still being cleared, even in northern Europe and North America, giving way to managed forests. Established and complex ecosystems are destroyed by the process and are not replaced by the new forests where timbers are fast growing, cash crops. Managed forests are unable to support as many species as old growth forests.

The issues

The production of recycled and virgin paper raises issues centred on:
  • Energy consumption (fossil and other fuels)
  • Pollution (air, water, solid)
  • Economy
NAPM - the National Association of Paper Merchants has a helpful FAQs section on recycled paper. here

Myths and Facts about recycled papers are discussed by Paperback, a paper merchant specialising in recycled paper, here and by Conserveatree, a non-profit organisation. here

Paperback also feature a summary of some of the benefits of using recycled papers. here

Friends of the Earth published an authoritative examination of the issues in 1997. The paper and lengthy bibliography are available on their website. here


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