It’s a complex, multifaceted topic.
Modern forests are being ‘managed’ like crops, but environmentalists claim monocultures are bad. The Forest Stewardship Council is gaining prominence in certifying forests for paper companies to harvest. While their leadership is commendable, participation in their programs is voluntary (although fast becoming an excellent affiliation for marketing and CSR purposes). Another similar organization, but without nearly the same level of appeal and credibility, is the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
Production uses a LOT of water and results in much air pollution/emissions. While printers/fabricators’ techniques obviously vary, they and their products can be FSC certified too. But their production volume is based on customer demand.
Examples of wasteful consumption can be seen through massive amounts of direct mail marketing (particularly in the U.S.), paper cups used only for 15 minutes, and office documents most of which don’t live beyond one day.
Recycling is nice, but how widespread is it? We’re looking at a systems design of separation, collection, separation, sales, and ??? (wherever it goes). For practical matters, let’s assume most of it goes to China like most other lower-grade scrapped resources around the world. Lastly, even recycled paper needs virgin fibers to maintain quality performance & appearance attributes desired by customers.
Here’s an 11min video from World Rainforest Movement on the paper industry. Most of the material seems reasonable and objective.
[Video Link for Email/Other Subscribers]
First off, I must ask…What is up with Finland and their higher per capita consumption that the U.S.? Ah well, at least you get a basic idea of SOME issues involved in paper production & consumption now, hopefully to the point where it hasn’t spoiled your day. It’s not my interest to be all preachy to you and mandate using ceramic cups in the office, printing double-sided, or starting a paper collection bin. But I will advise you to do some data-scrubbing to your databases for direct mail purposes, and use some form of recycled paper for your interoffice and print marketing needs. My goal is creating awareness without making you feel burnt out and frustrated (which many environmental causes can tend to do) – but rather make you beam positivity and employ pragmatic action that affects your well-being and your bottom line.