Cary Printing’s Guide to being Green

Recycled paper has taken on new meaning and vast improvements during the past couple of years. The thought of recycled paper at one time brought forth images of brown paper bags from the local grocery store. Today’s recycled paper has an entirely different image. As the demand for recycled content papers has increased, paper companies have developed higher quality and a broader selection of recycled papers. For example, the three most common paper finishes, gloss, matte, and uncoated papers all are available with varying amounts of recycled content ranging from 10% to 100% post consumer waste.

Recycled paper is made by taking consumer paper products and “cooking” them down to a cellulose, or plant pulp mixture which is then pressed through screens to remove contaminants. The next step is to clean, de-ink and bleach the pulp. Most mills no longer use chlorine to bleach the pulp but rather use oxygen or hydrogen peroxide which is safer for the environment. Once the pulp has been processed, it is ready to be made into paper once again. The pulp is either mixed with virgin fiber (to give it more strength) or it is used alone to make new paper. The mixture is sprayed on a continuous moving screen where the water drains from the pulp allowing it to form into the beginning of paper. From here the paper is run through a series of rollers which squeeze the remaining moisture from the paper. The last series of rollers is heated, which dries the paper as it is made into large rolls.

If you are a print-buyer seeking “greener” methods of producing environmentally-friendly and sustainable projects, paper is the first place we can begin to help. According to the Environmental Paper Network, 41.1% of all printing papers are recovered and made into recycled paper. This percentage is likely to increase as will the availability of more recycled variety.