 Many of the major environmental objections by groups opposed to the paper manufacturing processes have been largely refuted. The most effective pushback was organized in Europe, particularly in Scandinavian countries, where the paper industry is so vital to national economies. European paper equipment manufacturers also are the source of most of the new paper-related technologies today. But in North America, a more defensive posture often prevails when environmental issues are raised.
To illustrate how the North American paper industry's environmental progress can be used to counter many environmental objections, consider the following information:
• The industry does not destroy forests; rather it has instituted both sustainable and certifiable forest management practices. And through more efficient spacing when planting, better control of wood diseases, and the use of faster growing trees, increased yield per acre is being achieved. Actually, only about 25% of the wood from forests is used for the manufacture of paper and paperboard. The largest portion is used in construction projects and furniture. In fact, since a significant amount of the fiber used in papermaking is derived from lumber mill and sawmill waste, it is estimated that only about half of all the virgin fiber used in paper and board comes directly from freshly cut trees.
• Paper is a sustainable product, and is primarily made from a renewable resource. Forest resources can be increased instead of being depleted. Paper products are biodegradable and can be recycled. As an example of how far the industry has come in recycled fiber usage, an estimated 90% of newsprint and corrugated boxboard contain very high amounts of recycled fiber, and up to 70% of other consumer paper grades today also use significant levels of recycled fiber.
• The paper manufacturing process does require a lot of energy, but mills have responsibly made strides, not only in process improvements, but also in using by-products and wood waste as increasing sources of energy requirements. For example, it is estimated that bio-energy already accounts for up to 20% of Europe's renewable energy. New forming, pressing, and drying technologies also will contribute to additional reduction in the energy mills require.
• The paper manufacturing process does require high amounts of water, but mills conserve and reuse as much as possible. Water is recycled in many parts of the process, and the final used water discharge is purified to meet strict environmental standards. Recycling steps have reduced total water requirements by at least 14% since the 1990's. Effluent chemicals from pulp bleaching agents have been reduced by 90%, and residual chlorine content has been practically eliminated.
One might think that with all the responsible strides made by the paper industry, environmentalists would begin to look more favorably at paper products. Unfortunately this is not yet the case, although a few chinks in the armor have appeared. These include the planned elimination of plastic bags in the State of California and the federally banned use of Styrofoam in the future because it cannot be recycled. These may open the door for renewed use of paper bags and more consumption of paper packaging products.
One focus of environmentalists now seems to be shifting to the effect of paper on climate change, based on CO2 emissions from both direct manufacturing and landfills. This viewpoint has generated the need for new rebuttal points. A few possibilities are suggested below:
• While the paper industry continues to emit carbons, these represent only about 10% of the carbon from all manufacturing. In addition, with the increased use of renewable energy sources, significant reductions in carbon have been made over the last 20 years. In Europe, efforts are progressing to make many mills essentially carbon-neutral.
• It is estimated that paper products account for only about 1% of the climate impact of all household consumption.
• Properly located landfills serve as carbon sinks, effectively preventing major quantities of carbon from being released into the atmosphere.
• Only about 30% of the carbon from paper is emitted as landfill gas, the rest remaining in the landfill. The USDA has previously estimated this impact on global warming to be essentially negligible.
Landfill location, design, and moisture content are critical factors related to emissions. Most landfills today are located in dry areas, resulting in little or no methane production from all the materials that decompose. If nitrates or sulfates are present in the landfills, methane producing bacteria will not survive and methane will not be produced. This suggests a possible means of making landfills more environmentally friendly in the future. And while methane released over long time periods from landfills can be burned, this presents the problem of resultant carbon emissions.
Some people today seem to consider that paper is an old-fashioned product. Many will argue that it is no longer needed for printing and writing grades, since newer technologies are superior sources of information, compared to newspapers, magazines, or books. But even I-Pads® emit CO2, at a measured rate of 150-200 kg per I-Pad®. Considering the many millions of computer tablets and similar devices in use today, plus the manufacturing processes/materials involved, future studies may confirm that the newer technologies are not as environmentally friendly as supposed. In addition, the products are not easily recycled. For this reason, a point made in this article is worth repeating: paper is one of the few sustainable, recyclable products and is made primarily from a renewable resource.
Robert Moore is a retired chemical engineer, and is an experienced technical and fictional writer. His past work experience spanned the chemical, paper and equipment manufacturing industries, including holding management positions at Voith Paper, Scapa plc, and The Mead Paper Corporation. |
