Sometimes it is better to use paper. While we should all take the time to think about how much we are using and be mindful not to waste it, using paper doesn’t do as much harm to the planet as people often think. Compared to other materials such as glass, tin and plastic, paper is a much more environmentally friendly alternative and has a number of other benefits that cannot be found elsewhere.
Paper-less alternatives aren’t ‘free’
A common misconception that people often think is sending and receiving letters, bank statements and invoices electronically is ‘carbon free’. Unfortunately this is not the case due the energy needs of the computers used:
- e-Mails: An average of 20 e-mails sent a day costs as much CO2 in a year as a car uses to travel 1000 kilometres.
- Spam: As well as being hated by most who receive them, spam e-mail creates as much CO2 as 3.1 million cars.
- Invoices: To send an electronic invoice produces approximately 242 grams of CO2 – this is the same as producing and sending 15 paper invoices.
Paper is hugely biodegradable and recyclable
Waste material is a huge reason why people avoid using paper, instead choosing to use electronic alternatives. As electronic options are not as good for the environment as we are led to believe, it is worth thinking about what waste is actually produced. Paper is the one of the most biodegradable materials in the world, taking just 3 months to fully decompose and it does so producing no pollution – this is incredibly short when compared to the 4000 years of a glass bottle, 400 years of a plastic bag and 10 years of a metal can.
Recyclability is also another positive aspect to paper. We are being encouraged more and more to recycle, with many different materials nowadays able to be put in our recycling bins. 70% of paper gets recycled on average and can be done up to 7 times per piece of paper. This shows paper’s longevity and helps to ensure that paper does not get wasted.
Sustainable industry
The paper industry uses renewable energy for 54% of its energy needs which is the largest of any other industry. Paper manufacturers also do everything they can to ensure that trees and forests are replaced when used, with 99% of all wood for paper production in Europe coming from sustainably managed forests. Ensuring that trees get replanted when used has in-fact led to an increase in the number of trees by 17 million hectares over the last 20 years, despite being cut down to make all the paper and card we need.
Our environmental policies
We recently wrote a
blog on the FSC and our environmental policies at Colour Print. These actions combined with others in the industry should help to show that using paper is not always a bad idea. It is important to think carefully about where we source our materials from and not to waste material unnecessarily, but when we do it is good to know that paper is more environmentally friendly than you think.
For more information, be sure to check out the video below which contains even more interesting facts and figures.