Paper Reduction and Sourcing

Our Love Affair with Paper

Recently published statistics suggest that the international paper production industry has a carbon footprint around three times that of the much-criticised aviation industry, yet our love affair with the printed page shows little sign of abating. According to shrinkpaper.org, Europeans use around 4 times the global average annual paper consumption at over 200kg per person, while the Energy Star organisation tells us that ten times as much energy is consumed in the production of a sheet of paper as is used in printing on it.

In a recent Kyocera survey 74% of organisations said that reducing paper use was a priority, yet continually increasing paper consumption indicates that these efforts are not proving successful. So how should an organisation go about reducing paper consumption, and how should it source the paper it does consume?

Tips on Reducing Paper Usage

• Identify a paper collection point(s) in the office for recycling bins to dispose of waste paper
• Choose lighter paper weights
• Print on both sides of the paper (duplex)
• Avoid double spacing, large margins and white space
• Use unwanted printed sheets as scratch paper
• Encourage recycling by removing waste bins
• Use proof and hold to ensure a document is correct before printing a long print run
• Don’t overprint documents. Take care to calculate how many copies you really need to cut down
  on wastage
• Print and photocopy using a double sided or using multiple-up layout wherever possible to reduce 
  paper wastage and cost.

Further advice on reducing paper consumption in the office can be found at shrinkpaper.org 

Sourcing Sustainable Paper

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is an independent, non-governmental, not for profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.

Products carrying the FSC label are independently certified to assure consumers that they come from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations.  Learn more by visiting the FSC website