Ruben Mihalovic – Year 12

Sustainable alternatives to paper 

Paper is considered to be one of the most renewable and sustainable products in the world, and we use it every single day. If this newsletter was printed, you would even be reading this article on a piece of paper – thank goodness laptops save you from an accumulation of weekly mail. But how do you know what paper is ethically sourced and sustainably produced? What other alternatives exist and are they just as good as the real thing?

Let’s begin with how it’s made. In our current age, paper is produced from wood pulp which can be harvested from essentially any tree. Although, coniferous trees (trees that produce pretty cones) such as spruce and fir which are referred to as ‘softwood’ are the most desirable for papermaking as the fibres in their pulp are longer and therefore produce stronger paper. Paper can be made by hand, although, because of such a high demand it is mass produced industrially with machines. To simplify the manufacturing process as much as possible, this pulp (a soggy mixture of fibre and water – sounds delicious) is beaten, poured onto wire mesh, dried, pressed, and voila! You have paper!

Now, you may ask how do they source enough fibre to meet global demands, and is it being produced at the cost of the environment? Well, rest assured because there are ways of checking the sustainability of paper production and avoid funding deforestation and habitat destruction. Two companies: the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC^®) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC™) are not-for-profit organisations which promote the sustainable management of forests in order to preserve biological diversity and balance productivity with regeneration rates. If you see either of their logos on paper products, it provides the consumer assurance that the wood used to make the paper was sustainably sourced and managed.

Other than these certified paper products, there are a myriad of other sustainable alternatives to “save the trees”. Firstly, the most obvious sustainable option is recycled print paper which is easily obtained from stationary suppliers (and yes, all my assignments and hand-ins are printed on J.Burrows FSC approved 100% recycled paper). However, you can take it a step further.

Below are a list of the more well-known alternative woodless options which are being explored and developed:

• Kenaf paper: produced from the Kenaf plant which is cultivated in South America and Italy, producing fibre similar to that of softwood. It is a common alternative for paper and is also 100% recyclable. Moreover, it replenishes the soil it grows in – incredible!
• Bamboo paper: derived directly from the plant itself. It thrives in depleted soil and as it grows, it can replenish this soil similar to Kenaf. Its quality is comparable to normal wood pulp paper with similar strength, brightness, and printability making it an incredible alternative.
• Bagasse paper: produced from the remaining residue of juiced sugarcane. Bagasse contains heaps of fibre which makes it an excellent material for the paper industry. Specifically, it contains 45% cellulose, 28% pentosans, 20% lignin and other fun things – for all the ‘science-y’ people out there
• Stone paper: manufactured with calcium carbonate bonded with a small amount of polyethylene resin (a type of plastic which poses very little to no environmental concerns). It is compostable, works well with ink, and can be recycled. Although, it does not perform so well in high-temperature laser printers.

Will you consider making the move to recycled, certified, or alternative sustainable paper?

It is a simple, small change that can really improve your relationship with the environment and introduce another sustainable aspect to your lifestyle.