Paper Products
The objective of paper products for PAS 2020 is to effectively manage the procurement and use of paper products to improve environmental performance.
The greenDM.co.uk web site has been developed to be used in conjunction with the BSI PAS 2020:2009 standard. The environmental performance relating to the level needs to be used in conjunction with the PAS 2020:2009 document.
Environmental concerns have moved to the top of almost every agenda in recent years, and have an increasing influence over the decisions we make every day. As the environmental debate has gathered momentum, so have the myths and misconceptions suggesting that the paper industry is responsible for mass deforestation and has an adverse impact on the environment.
It doesn’t.
As always, there are two sides to every debate, and both Print and Paper have a great environmental story to tell. This is an industry that depends on a renewable source for its principal raw material, and one that leads the world in recycling.
Initiated by the National Association of Paper Merchants (NAPM), ‘Two Sides’ will present the real facts about Print and Paper production, use and recycling. ‘Two Sides’ seeks to dispel common environmental misconceptions surrounding Print and Paper whilst encouraging its responsible use; also providing paper users with factual information enabling Print and Paper to remain the preferred, environmentally sustainable, communications medium.
And, emphasising the factual and responsible approach to the initiative, Two Sides advocates:
- Responsible Production
- Responsible Print and Design
- Responsible Consumption
- Responsible Disposal
“There aren’t many industries around that can aspire to becoming genuinely sustainable. The Paper Industry, however is one of them, it is inherently sustainable”
Source: Jonathan Porritt
Chairman UK Sustainability Development Commission & Founder, Forum for the Future
There are a number of myths surrounding paper and the environment.
The biggest one is that paper is bad for the environment.
For every tree that is logged in managed forests, three to four trees are replanted. And as young trees grow, they absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. Furthermore, as a wood product, paper also continues to store carbon throughout its lifetime.
Fortunately, the paper industry has a number of respected certification schemes ensuring the paper you use has come from a sustainable forest source. There are some 30 schemes in existence, but the two main auditable certifications that have emerged are the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
At the moment too few of the world’s forests are formally certified but the NAPM actively supports certification programmes and believe these provide consumers with reassurance.
The amount of carbon stored in products is increasing by about 540 million tons of CO2 per year’
NCASI Special Report 07–02
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)
FSC provides global standards for forest management which cover a balance of environmental, social and economic aspects. The wellbeing of forest communities and ecosystems is as important as replacing trees in ensuring the future of the world’s forests. The FSC system also provides a way of tracking forest products through independently verified Chain of Custody certification. This has to cover every stage in processing, conversion, distribution and printing before the final product can carry the FSC label.
PEFC
The PEFC Council (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation, founded in 1999 which promotes sustainably managed forests through independent third party certification.
The PEFC provides an assurance mechanism to purchasers of wood and paper products that they are promoting the sustainable management of forests.
- Paper production is not a major cause of deforestation
- Industrial wood, pulp and paper production saves forests
- Paper is a fully renewable, sustainable resource
- For every tree logged in managed forests,
3–4 are replanted
- Forest certification promotes wood from managed forests
- We plant more trees than we harvest for making paper
- The annual increase of forest cover in Europe is equivalent to more than 1.5million football pitches
To view more myths such as this then go to www.twosides.info and also test your knowledge on Greenwash: fact and fiction
Visit the Two Sides Initiative website
Level 1
All paper products used in printed DM communications shall:
a) be sourced from paper mills which operate an environmental management system conforming to BS EN ISO 14001 and/or EMAS; and
b) be produced using non-chlorinating bleaching methods (which are now largely redundant in practice).
Level 2
In addition to Level 1, all paper products used in printed DM communications shall:
a) have an environmental declaration that:
1) conforms to BS EN ISO 14025; and
2) contains externally verified information on the product’s composition and the environmental emissions from the product’s production; and
b) contain a proportion of:
1) recycled fibre from recovered waste paper; and/or
2) virgin fibre sourced under a certified chain of custody conforming to a certification scheme approved by the Defra funded Central Point of Expertise on Timber Procurement (CPET) [7].
Level 3
In addition to Level 2, all paper products used in printed DM communications shall:
a) be produced and certified in accordance with an internationally recognized eco-labelling scheme that makes environmental declarations in accordance BS EN ISO 14025; and/or
b) be certified as conforming to a certification scheme approved by the Defra funded Central Point of Expertise on Timber Procurement (CPET) [7].