“Go Paperless”, “Go Green” and “Save Trees”, these slogan’s are hardly music to our ears, as a print management firm. These common messages, which we quite often see at the bottom of e-mail signatures, give the impression that electronic communication has no carbon footprint. But, it is difficult to make such a statement, without considering the full lifetime of the two mediums.

With climate change hitting the headlines we thought we would clear up some myths and facts.
The Myth is: Electronic communication is more environmentally friendly than paper based communication…
The Fact is: Electronic communication also has an environmental impact…
According to Two Sides, the environmental impact of our ever-increasing digital world cannot be ignored. The ICT industry accounts for around 2.5-3% of global greenhouse gas emissions and this is predicted to rise to 14% by 2040.

Paper is a uniquely renewable and sustainable product. The main raw material, wood, is grown and harvested in a carefully controlled and sustainable way – so sustainable, in fact, that European forests, where most of the raw material comes from, have grown by an area the size of Switzerland in just 10 years.

Paper is one of the few truly sustainable products

Paper is based on wood, a natural and renewable material. As young trees grow they absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. Furthermore, as a wood product, paper also continues to store carbon throughout its lifetime.

The paper industry has a number of respected certification schemes ensuring the paper you use has come from a sustainable forest source. The two most recognisable certifications are the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC™).

Both PEFC and FSC are committed to achieving the same objectives – the certification of forests to credible, independently verified standards of responsible forest management, and focus on conserving the natural habitats of plants and animals and respecting the rights of forestry workers and local communities. Both PEFC and FSC operate robust chain of custody schemes that track wood and wood fibre through every step of the supply chain, from the forest to the end user.

FSC ™ is an international non-profit, multi stakeholder organisation established in 1993 to promote responsible management of the world’s forests. The FSC logo when used on paper and printed products is assurance that it is made with, or contains, wood that comes from FSC certified forests or from post consumer waste.

For more information visit www.fsc.org

PEFC ™ is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation, founded in 1999 which promotes sustainably managed forests through independent thirdparty certification. The PEFC logo  provides an assurance to purchasers of paper products that the woodfibre originates from PEFC certified, sustainably managed forests.

For more information visit www.pefc.org

Sustainability Facts

  • Paper is made from wood, a truly renewable and sustainable resource.
  • Forest certification ensures wood comes from well managed forests.
  • Responsible wood, pulp and paper production ensures healthy growing forests.
  • Between 2005 and 2015, European forests grew by an area the size of Switzerland.1
  • 71% of wood and 83% of pulp purchased by the European pulp and paper industry is FSC or PEFC certified.2
  • 91% of production capacity is certified or registered according to the internationally recognised environmental management standards ISO 14001 and EMAS.3

¹FAO, 2015. Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015, How are the World’s Forests Changing?
²Based on Two Sides analysis of FSC and PEFC published data, 2017
³CEPI Sustainability Report, 2018