Green (Living) Review: print

Print and paper have a great environmental story to tell

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Time and again we see the messages that ask – nay, demand even – that we go paperless and it is then referred to as going green. Many people, especially government agencies put on the bottom of an email a text such as “consider the environment before printing this email” or similar.

However, what are the broader implication of the choice to go paperless. First of all it has nothing to do, from the side of the companies and agencies, with saving the environment; it has all to do with money.

On the face of it opting for paperless, seems pretty innocuous to most people, generating the feel-good, albeit unsupported, vibe that corporate marketers intend. But there is a hidden consequence in using unsubstantiated environmental claims to promote paperless communication: potential job loss for millions of people.

Millions of people could lose there jobs? It sounds like a stretch until you consider how many families depend on the paper, print and mailing industries for their livelihoods. The U.S. mailing industry alone supports 8.7 million jobs.

These are people who are directly employed in forest products, paper, printing, direct mail design, mail management and mail delivery jobs, 91.7 percent of them in the private sector.

Include here supply chain jobs, many in small companies that would go belly-up if print and paper go away, and the reach of a collective online click extends even further.

There are also some 10 million family forest owners in America who depend on income from the wood they supply for pulp and paper making.

These folks are the backbone of the print and paper industry, filling the demand for the sustainably grown wood fiber used in printed phone bills, bank statements and other customer communications.

In fact, 60% of the wood used to manufacture paper in the United States comes from these small family owned tree farms.

According to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), family forest owners account for 92 percent of all private forest owners and 62 percent of the private forestland (35 percent of all forestland) in the United States with the average family farm holding at around 25 acres.

Without the demand for sustainably grown wood to make paper and the income it provides, many families would be tempted to sell their land for development, the leading cause of U.S. forest loss, rather than continue to manage it responsibly. This is especially true in today's tough economic times.

The USFS says U.S. family forest owners have held their land an average of 26 years. Should these people on the front lines of sustainable forest management be forced to make the difficult financial choice to

sell long-held family land when a drop in paper demand results from green marketing claims that don't hold water?

If companies and government agencies want to encourage a switch from paper to electronic communication because it's speedier or more cost-effective, we cannot argue with that. But don't tout that electronic bill or monthly statement as the greener alternative because it's just not true.

The green movement also needs to gets its fact right about paper as the claim that going paperless saves the trees of the tropical rainforests is not only a fallacy but it is an outright lie. Hardwood trees are not suitable for the making of paper pulp and about 99.9% of the trees of the (tropical) rainforests are hardwood.

The only broadleaved trees that are suitable for the making of paper are poplars, and one or two other species, as their wood is light enough, but hardwoods per se just not for paper pulp make.

Paper is made, predominately, from coniferous woods, that is to say from the likes of spruce, pine and fir, grown more often than not on marginal land that cannot grow hardwoods or have much use for agriculture.

Trees are not saved if and when people reduce their use of paper. The contrary would be the case for the paper companies that own those forests and others who supply the timber for the making of paper would, if the market should dry up, fell the trees and turn the land over for other purposes, more than likely for urban development. Not the result we should be aiming for.

Let's stop greenwashing and tell the real story, and the green movement should be waking up the truth as well.

No Wonder You Love Paper Ads Promote the Attractiveness and Sustainability of Magazines and Newspapers

CHICAGO, IL, May 29, 2013 – As part of its expanding efforts to promote the sustainability of print and paper, Two Sides this month will begin working with U.S. magazine and newspaper publishers to reach consumers with the No Wonder You Love Paper ad campaign. One of the first ads to appear is in the June issue of National Geographic magazine. The campaign, which promotes the sustainability, visual appeal and versatility of magazines and newspapers, follows a similar, highly successful campaign in Europe that anticipates $10 million worth of in-kind ad placements in leading magazines and newspapers.

"Two Sides research shows that 70 percent of polled U.S. consumers, including 69 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds, say they prefer to read print and paper communications rather than reading off a screen," says Two Sides President Phil Riebel. "But Americans also have many misconceptions about the effects of paper-based communications on the environment. In fact, print and paper have a great environmental story to tell, and the No Wonder You Love Paper Ad campaign is designed to help set the record straight."

The No Wonder You Love Paper ads feature people enjoying magazines and newspapers in their everyday lives and offer facts about the sustainability of print and paper. "We know people will easily relate to the situations portrayed in the ads and may be surprised by some of the facts presented," Riebel says. "For example, a lot of people don't know that 65 percent of paper produced in the United States each year is collected and recycled or that there are now 49 percent more trees growing in U.S. forests than 50 years ago. When people are aware of the facts, they can not only enjoy the many types of printed media they encounter every day, but also can feel good knowing that by choosing ink on paper they are supporting one of the most sustainable products on the planet," he says.

The No Wonder You Love Paper ad campaign is supported by a consumer website, http://www.youlovepaper.info/US/, that includes additional facts about the sustainability of print and paper, a short video on paper and forests, a fun quiz and the opportunity to win a prize for creating a short "fun with paper" video.

"We're excited that Two Sides is launching a campaign to help highlight how paper is sustainable and powerful," said Paige Goff, Vice President of Sustainability and Business Communications for Domtar Corporation. "Paper remains purposeful and personal, and from the forest floor to all types of printed media, there's a way consumers can be sure their paper comes from well-managed forests. We're grateful that Two Sides is helping spread the word."

Publishers interested in participating in the ad campaign may contact Phil Riebel at 1-855-896-7433 (toll-free) or pnr@twosides.info.

About Two Sides:

Two Sides is an independent, non-profit organization created to promote the responsible production, use and sustainability of print and paper. Started in Europe in 2008, Two Sides is now active worldwide. The organization has more than 1,000 members that span the entire print and paper supply chain, including pulp and paper producers, paper distributors, ink and chemical manufacturers, printers, envelope manufacturers, equipment manufacturers and publishers. For more information about Two Sides visit the Two Sides website at www.twosides.us.

This press release is presented for your information only.

Full Disclosure Statement: The GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW received no compensation for any component of this article.