Surviving the Sustainability Maze

Focus on sustainability. As wonderful as recycled options are, we cannot recycle indefinitely. There just is not enough recycled fiber to go around and, subsequently, virgin fibers will remain an important part of the papermaking process.

But we are not just specifying any virgin sheet. Several independent organizations (FSC, SFI, PECF), each with their own focus on sustainability, have made it their aim to ensure that trees are grown, forested and transported in the most environmentally friendly and socially responsible ways. All of them have their own level of certification, a guarantee to you and your clients that the mill’s claim is a viable one. To achieve these certifications, mills have to undergo stringent testing. Needless to say, this process takes several months and does not come cheap. Besides the certification process, the actual pulp is more expensive, too. This is why you will see increased pricing for most of these certified papers.