This week marks Recycle Now’s recycle week and whilst it’s vitally important to recycle as much household and business waste as we can, it’s also important to use recycled products too.  Unfortunately even at the height of its success, recycled paper only had about 10% of the printing and writing paper market.

Here we outline some of the terminology, the benefits as well as dispelling some of the myths surrounding recycled paper with the hope that we might persuade you, our clients, to consider the greener option.

What exactly does ‘Forest Sustainable’ mean?

A sustainable forest is a forest that is carefully managed so that as trees are felled they are replaced with seedlings that eventually grow into mature trees. This is a carefully and skilfully managed system. The forest is a working environment, producing wood products such as wood pulp for the paper and card industry and wood based materials for furniture manufacture and the construction industry. Great care is taken to ensure the safety of wildlife and to preserve the natural environment.

Why do we use inks made from vegetable oil?

Vegetable oils are better for the environment as they emit less harmful pollutants than mineral oils.  There is also a move towards converting diesel delivery vehicles to run on vegetable oil as it is much cheaper and also better for the environment

Is our recycled paper more expensive?

Most paper is evenly priced with non-recycled stock, especially letterheads, envelopes and business card board. Where recycled papers cost more, price differentials are usually quite small and we will buy in larger quantities and plan ahead both of which helps reduce price premiums on recycled paper.

Is it possible to produce the same high quality results on recycled and non-recycled?

Absolutely.  Recycled paper will have the same feel as virgin paper, it just comes down to choosing the correct stock.  Colour quality is not affected either.  In general the only drawback is that there are a much smaller variety of paper, paper sizes and weights available but if you can contact us as early as possible in the design phase, we’d be able to advise you about stock types.

What is Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) recycled paper?

Without giving you too much science, ECF is the process of bleaching paper and compared to other methods it virtually eliminates, not just reduces, dioxin and other persistent chlorinated organics which are harmful to the environment.  The other main method of bleaching paper is called TCF but the paper produced using this method is weaker, meaning it can’t be recycled as many times and it requires 6-10% more wood to make a ton of TCF pulp than ECF pulp.

Isn’t it better to burn paper for energy rather than to recycle it?

The fibres in fine paper can be recycled up to a dozen times before becoming too short for papermaking, saving resources, water and energy, and reducing pollution each one of those times. The impact and value of these repeated savings are much greater than the minimal amount of energy produced when the paper is burned instead.

There is really no excuse to not use recycled paper today.  Most printing jobs could swap virgin paper for recycled stock with no effect on price or quality.  Going green needn’t be an add on, a ‘campaign’ or rely on recycling weeks such as those run by Recycle Now. It can be integrated in to an organisation’s entire printing and communications strategy with no negative impact.

If you are in the process of choosing a business printing service, in my opinion there are a few factors that you should consider before you can make an educated decision:

Printing Quality:
One of the main concerns when ordering business stationary is the quality of the finished products; after all you want stationary that represents what your company stands for and that you are not ashamed to send out to your clients and business partners. A quality printing company, will not just try and satisfy their customers – a quality commitment should mean that all business contacts with the company, even those to suppliers and sub-contractors should be professional and of a high standard.

Good Customer Service:
Good customer response times certainly constitute part of a quality service. But not just the timeliness of a response is important, the quality of the reply is too.

Good Printing Value:
Money does not always guarantee you high quality and vice versa. You should have a look around and get an understanding for what the best prices are. If you are planning on getting a stationary bundle this might get you a good discount in comparison to buying your business cards, letterheads and other stationary separately.

Printing Speed:
Sometimes in business, speed is of the essence. Having a printer that can deliver a 24 hr turnaround on their printing orders provides you with flexibility and less planning related admin. You do not want to have to worry about your stationary when you have money to make!

Convenience:
Does your printer have a website and online ordering facilities? If not try a printer that does, and see what difference it makes to the ease of ordering your company stationary online.

Suitability for your needs:
Does your printer have the products you are after? Do you like the materials they use? Does the finished product look as you would like it to and do they help you out with any design questions you might have?

Printer Location:
Where are your printers located? It is always good to know where they are as it gives you an idea of who you are dealing with.

Environmental Friendliness:
This is connected to the locality of the service, as if you order your stationary from another continent, obviously this will create a larger carbon footprint than if the finished printing products do not have to travel very far too reach you. Do they offer recycled products and environmentally friendly inks? Not only will this consideration give you a good conscience, it will also make an impression on your business partners, clients or customers.