Paper is the perfect GREEN renewable and sustainable crop. The Paper industry is a forest managing, infinitely renewable and sustainable industry with a net environmental benefit for all. We breath it, animals live in it, it cleans the air, promotes the rain cycles and just looks cool.
US forests have more trees than 50 years ago. According to the US Dept of Agriculture, managed forestry practices have been so successful that US forestlands have increased by 60% in the past 60 years. Since 1990 US forests have been growing at 1,200 football fields per DAY. That is 3,200,000 trees/day.
In the US 2-3 trees are planted for each one harvested, insuring a managed forest for our children and future harvests. The US harvests 2%/year. Insects and fire take 3%. When possible, the weak and old trees are taken first leaving a healthier forest. Up to 90% comes from private owners that could convert timber to housing tracts.
Deforestation is not harvesting. Deforestation is conversion; to industrial development, mining and other uses never to grow trees again. This is a problem, but not with paper. We grow trees.
Young trees also give MORE OXYGEN and take up MORE CO2 than old trees. Many of the harvested trees are diseased or burned trees anyway. American forests, for instance, offset about 13% of U.S. carbon emissions annually. Trees have sequestered C02 to carbon and stored it in the form of wood and given us oxygen to breathe. Growing and managing that crop is really important. Paper and managed forests do that. (FSC)
“Save a Tree”, may be good intentioned, but actually hurts forests.
(Think, “Save a broccoli” instead.)
Paper is Circular ♻
Paper is the most RECYCLED commodity on the planet. Paper recycling is a superb model for other industries to aspire to. Circular refers to a self-supporting complete system of existence that benefits along the whole lifecycle. EPA
When a tree is felled, the entire tree, from the trunk to the crown, is used. Bark generates fuel for the paper mill up to 95%, lumber cut and wood chips are used for building materials, byproducts often go to pulp for paper. Mill end cuts are recycled right back in. Printers also deliver clean paper back to plants to recycle. Consumer recycling finds its way to packaging and cartons.
Paper can be recycled 5-7 times then the fibers are too small and weak. So, 100% recycled is not good, not sustainable. Without the inclusion of fresh fibers, paper production would come to a standstill in 6-18-months.
As recycled fibers reach the end of their life, forests need to resupply more native fibers. That insures there are more forests to manage and regrow new trees when they are needed. This keeps it circular.
In 2022, 68% of paper and paper-based packaging in the U.S. was recovered for recycling. The recycling rate for cardboard, what the industry calls corrugated, was 93.6%. About 80% of U.S. mills use recycled fiber.
According to the most recent government data available, paper and paper packaging is consumer recycled more than any other material in the U.S. solid waste stream, including plastics (8.7%), glass (25%) and metals (34.1%).
Recycling a green tree is clean and easy. Try recycling electronics…. not so clean and easy.
Paper is powerful again, again, and again.