Eco-Profile of Sustainable Paper

By using sustainable paper alternatives, World Centric® makes measurable and significant reductions in the environmental damage caused by our tree-based products.

Though using any form of tree based paper is not ideal, cafes, restaurants, and cafeterias often prefer paper products over plant fiber products for certain items due to their look, printability, and customer acceptance. Through ongoing research we hope to create a more sustainable product made from alternative fibers. Until technology allows us to provide viable paper product alternatives, sourcing paper from sustainable, responsible resources is the best way to ensure that the paper is not being harvested from virgin forests. For example, World Centric® provides a post-consumer waste (PCW) paper option. Post consumer waste paper is paper claimed after consumer use, that is recycled and processed to make a new product.

As well, some of World Centric®’s tree-based paper products are made from paper that meets the certification standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). FSC certification verifies the claims of manufacturers that they only use tree-based materials that come from forest-management practices designed to meet the “social, economic, ecological, cultural and spiritual needs of present and future generations.”

Another ecological concern that may guide a consumer’s paper goods choice is the question of bleaching. World Centric® offers paper cups and bowls that are whitened with 100% elemental chlorine-free (ECF) bleach instead of the standard solid bleached sulfate (SBS). We also offer paper cups and bowls that are made from unbleached paper, referred to as Kraft. Consider the tables below to compare the environmental impacts of PCW recycled paper versus tree based virgin-wood paperboard using solid bleached sulfate (SBS) when choosing among World Centric® paper cups and bowls.

100% PCW Recycled Paper versus Virgin Wood Paper

Comparing Eco-profile of 100% PCW Recycled Paper with Eco-profile of Virgin Wood Paper ^{2, 3}

Manufacturing paper from 100% recycled content versus virgin-wood based content: Comparative ratios between the two products

	100% PCW Recycled Paper	Tree-based (virgin-wood coated paper)
Energy consumption ratio = 1.0 : 2.41
Water consumption ratio = 1.0 : 6.24
CO2 emissions ratio = 1.0 : 1.19
Solid waste production ratio = 1.0 : 0.93

Manufacturing paper from 100% recycled content versus tree-based content: Direct measurements of manufacturing one pound of each paper type

	100% PCW Recycled Paper	Tree-based (virgin-wood coated paper)
Energy consumption (kwh)	2.31	5.56
Water consumption (gal)	1.58	9.86
CO2 emissions (lb)	1.28	1.52
Solid waste (lb)	1.47	1.37

Manufacturing products from 100% recycled paper versus tree-based paper: Comparative ratios between the two products

	100% PCW Recycled Paper	Tree-based (virgin-wood coated paper)
Energy consumption ratio = 1.0 : 1.48
CO2 emissions ratio = 1.0 : 1.0

Manufacturing products from 100% recycled paper versus tree-based paper: Direct measurements of manufacturing one pound of each paper type

	100% PCW Recycled Paper	Tree-based (virgin-wood coated paper)
Energy consumption (kwh)	3.26	4.83
CO2 emissions (lb)	1.28	1.52

> Back To Eco-Profiles of Compostables

Page Notes

1. Urban Forestry: Carbon Sequestration Workbook, Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/pub/oiaf/1605/cdrom/excel/urbfor05.xls, 2005.
2. Benchmarking Energy Use in Canadian Pulp and Paper Mills, Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada, http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/industrial/technical-info/b..., retrieved 8/27/12.
3. Paper Calculator, Environmental Paper Network, http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagid=25042, retrieved 8/27/12.
4. Assuming 800 plates per year (approximately 15 per week);
   • 28.42 pounds plates per year (16 g per plate)
   • 2.94 lb of CO2 emitted per 1.0 pound of 100% PCW plates (1.28 lb from material production + 1.66 lb from product production);
   • 3.18 lb of CO2 emitted per 1.0 pound of virgin wood plates (1.52 lb from material production + 1.66 lb from product production);
   • 6.38 lb less CO2 in a year from 800 plates made from100% PCW paper than from 800 virgin wood plates ((28.42 lb x 3.18)-(28.42 lb x 2.94));
   • 0.93 trees would absorb 9.78 lb of CO2 in a year, assuming an average of 7.38 lb of CO2 absorbed per tree per year.
5. U.S. Household Electricity Report, Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/reps/enduse/er01_us.ht..., July 14, 2005.
6. Assuming 800 plates per year (approximately 15 per week);
   • 28.42 pounds plates per year (16 g per plate);
   • 5.57 kWh of energy consumed per 1.0 pound of 100% PCW plates (2.31 kWh for material production + 3.26 kWh for product production);
   • 10.39 kWh of energy consumed per 1.0 pound of virgin wood plates (5.56 kWh for material production + 4.83 kWh for product production);
   • 136.9 kWh less energy consumed in a year from 800 plates made from100% PCW paper than from 800 virgin wood plates ((28.42 lb x 10.39) - (28.42 lb x 5.57));
   • 4.7 days for an average household to consume the same amount of energy, assuming consumption at 29.19 KWh per day.