Best practice paper purchasing
Expert comment by Tim Barker, PaperlinX Europe
Along with energy and travel, the legal sector views paper as a significant sustainability issue. Most firms use lots of the stuff, so it’s well worth finding out what the sustainability risks are and what can be done to minimise them.
Paper life-cycle
Taking a basic life-cycle approach, paper’s impacts encompass raw materials, manufacturing, use and disposal. There’s also the paper’s contribution to climate change, otherwise known as the carbon footprint.
The major raw material for paper is wood fibre. A benefit of this is that it’s a renewable resource – trees are planted to replace those cut down. However, there are serious and complex issues related to forestry. Good forest management is not just about replanting trees - it should also address environmental impacts, preserve biodiversity and consider social issues. Fortunately, many paper types are available that are certified to forest management standards, such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC). These reassure paper users that the wood fibre can be traced back to a well-managed forest.
Of course, it’s not always necessary to use virgin wood fibre from trees. Recycled paper utilises waste again, instead of it being dumped in landfill where it would emit methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. The production of recycled pulp, compared to virgin fibre pulp, typically uses less energy, less water and causes less pollution too. However, individual fibre can only be recycled around half a dozen times, so the paper industry will always need virgin fibre.
Environmental management at the mill
Modern paper mills use lots of water, fibre and energy. They also generate waste and emissions to water and air. If these issues are not properly managed, the environmental impacts can be serious. However, most manufacturers have invested heavily in this area and can demonstrate continuous environmental improvements against a range of criteria. The detail of this is often too technical to be helpful to most paper users but it is worth checking whether the mill has a certified environmental management system, such as ISO14001. This provides reassurance that environmental issues have been identified and are being managed appropriately.
Carbon impact
The lion’s share of paper’s carbon footprint is produced before it reaches the user. As a rough average this is between 500kg and 1,500kg of carbon dioxide per tonne of paper, but this can vary significantly. The carbon footprint is greatly affected by the type of energy used in production and where the mill is located, as some countries have lower-carbon energy sources than others. It can also be difficult to make reliable comparisons because of a current lack of assessment standards. A lot of work is going on to address the industry’s contribution to climate change but accurate information is still patchy.
The use stage of paper’s life cycle is relatively low-impact, although office printers and copiers do need energy to run. More important, however, is to reduce paper waste and recycle more. It’s useful to consider paper usage. Only print when it’s necessary, print on both sides if possible or reduce font sizes and margins to get more on a page. Some recycling suppliers even offer a ‘closed-loop’ recycling system where waste paper is taken back to a mill to be returned to your business as office paper again.
So, if you’re interested in greening your paper use, here are some simple steps:
- choose recycled paper, or paper certified to FSC or PEFC standards
- ask whether the mill is ISO14001 accredited
- use paper efficiently and always recycle it.
Tim Barker - product stewardship manager, PaperlinX Europe.