We all see the world differently, that is one of the very many factors that make us all unique. We each have individual perspective on the world, events and people around us. Our perspective can be swayed by some positive energy forces like internal thought, intuition, listening to people we trust and subject matter experts; on the flip side it can be influenced by things like the media, old information, fiction, “influencers” (insert eye roll here) and even well meaning people that dont have all the information you need.
I want share with you the flip side to a very important subject for Morgan Printing and the design/print industry as a whole – environmental performance and sustainability of paper and print.
Our beloved paper and print industry has been on the receiving end of some very large misconceptions and incorrect information for some time – years in fact. With the current state of the environment we have been hearing more information that is inaccurate. Most of these misconceptions are born from individuals and organisations simply trying to do their best in the face of uncertain, frightening times and a more sensitive and caring society, which in essence is a great thing. The only thing that doesn’t make it such a peachy situation is that a lot of the information shared in an attempt to show empathy, change or social responsibility is (for a large part) incorrect.
As an individual I am all for being responsible for my actions, the same applies for us in business; it is an important part of reflection and growth. Although I must say it is rather challenging being in a position where you are given things that just aren’t yours to own. For example, claims “printers back deforestation” or “your business must have a higher carbon footprint because it is in the print and paper industry” are icky statements, based on incorrect information and I just wont wear them.
Like most situations in life, beautiful things can be created when looking for the positive, so that is what we have been doing (along with other industry peers). We recognise that we have a responsibility to continually improve our environmental credentials and provide information to all consumers who are receiving misleading or inaccurate information so they can make informed decisions about the use of paper and print products. In the background we have been quietly making changes for decades now that see us strengthen our position as advocates for environmentally friendly and sustainable printing, we decided it is time to go a bit further and dig a bit deeper and start to share our knowledge along with our sustainability practises. We will do this on the blog, over social media and don’t be surprised if we start doing it in person too.
To start it off we are going with a myth that is simple to address – I could in fact write about this topic for hours but we aim to educate not bore.
Myth: Paper is bad for the environment.
Fact: Paper is one of the few truly renewable products.
1. Paper is made from wood, a natural and renewable material. As young trees grow they absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, as a wood product paper also continues to store carbon throughout its lifetime – even after production and all throughout its recycling cycle, which makes paper and print products effective carbon sinks. Why is this important? In a nutshell extra carbon dioxide increases the greenhouse effect and global temperatures, and in extreme cases can have a serious effects on one’s health. So that beautiful book you are reading and that notepad sitting on your side table are helping suck all the bad guys out of the air leaving you with a much nicer air to draw into your lungs.
2. For every tonne of wood a managed forest produces, it removes 1.47 tonnes of CO2 from the air and replaces it with 1.07 tonnes of oxygen…you know oxygen, that stuff we need to breathe in order to live. Responsible wood, pulp and paper production ensures healthy growing managed forests and their continued benefits.
3. The paper industry has some 30 respected certification schemes, leading the race is the Forest Stewardship Council along with the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. These schemes promote the responsible management of the world’s forests, develop standards which responsible forests can be measured by and works throughout the entire forest supply chain to ensure that timber and non timber forest products are produced with respect to the highest ecological and ethical standards. It is safe to say that our industry cares about the environment and we are happy to be taken to task to prove that.
You will notice that we have mentioned managed forest vs forest throughout this blog, it is extremely important to know that the paper suppliers that we use in Australia and Europe only source paper from mills that comply with the highest of standards and schemes. We are in full support of anti logging laws, we care about our impact on the environment and strive to strengthen our practises as a environmentally friendly printer.
Please let us know if there is any specific topic you would like discussed.
Holly
