Environmental non-profit organization Canopy has conducted an online survey to assess market interest in North America for papers made with agricultural residues. “This study is the first of its kind in North America.”, says Neva Murtha, Second Harvest Campaigner with Canopy. “When done, we’ll be able to translate demands for eco-paper into initiatives that help make straw papers a North American reality.” Last year Canadian Geographic magazine produced an issue with paper made from wheat, which drew considerable attention and showed that non-wood papers pass the technical and quality requirements of the North American market, says Canopy www.canopyplanet.org

 

The Neenah Eco-Calculator is the company’s second application for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. Available on the iPhone App Store, the calculator instantly calculates the environmental savings that can be achieved by using paper made with 100% renewable energy. 

It can be downloaded for free by typing “Neenah” into the search function in the App Store. The iPhone application includes several new features that make it even more convenient and useful for users—a glossary and the ability to save and email their calculations. The glossary allows users to access a broad list of eco-friendly terminology to better understand how their paper choices affect the environment. www.neenahpaper.com

Detailing its commitment to sustainability and offering a look into everyday paper processes, Finch Paper recently put out a new Green Guide. The book covers a range of considerations to make when purchasing environmentally responsible paper. The Green Guide also includes Finch’s paper product chart detailing certifications and green attributes.

www.finchpaper.com 

North America’s paper industry “absolutely has to fundamentally change” to survive both the ecological challenges and business upheavals it currently faces, says one of Canada’s leading environmentalists.
 

Nicole Rycroft, executive director of Vancouver-based Canopy (formerly Markets Initiative), spoke with Graphic Monthly Canada after the environmental organization held two invitation-only events in early fall in Toronto focusing on the future of the paper industry and the roles of respective players, including mills, publishers, printers, designers and recyclers.

1. Governments need to make a real commitment to supporting the paper industry, the way they are supporting other industries like biofuels, but with performance measures that include environmental goals. Current government support is weak and includes no links to performance, she says. Existing subsidies, such as the black liquor subsidy, also promote the use of virgin fibres over recycled fibres—a regressive step.
2. The recycled fibre system needs to be designed such that fibre recovered in Canada is directed to domestic production of recycled paper. Currently, most recovered fibre is shipped to Asia, where buyers pay higher fees than domestic buyers. This creates a vicious cycle whereby domestic producers can’t source as much post-consumer fibre, leaving them at a competitive disadvantage. It also creates more CO2 emissions. Another problem: Municipal “single-stream” recycling policies, while easier on consumers, lead to poorer-quality recovered fibre compared to separated-stream processes.
3. Canada should commit to non-tree fibre sources by either retrofitting two existing mills or building a new mill to process “waste” wheat or flax straw. This type of R&D, virtually non-existent in Canada, could be the foundation for a future commercial paper industry based on waste agricultural products. Canopy estimates that Manitoba alone produces enough unused wheat straw to replace the fibre needs of the entire Canadian book and magazine industries annually.