information on the environmental sustainability of the paper, print and
associated industries in Australasia.
DISTRIBUTION
The contribution that catalogue paper makes to the waste stream is extremely important in the recycling process as newspaper waste contains very little bondable fibre and the system requires the infusion of their long fibres to facilitate the process.
Catalogue paper is very light weight with fresh long fibres and natural clay-based lubricant, which make it very recyclable. It comes mainly from plantation softwoods grown in the northern hemisphere and its sustainability as a crop is unquestioned, being strictly controlled by government legislation and/or 'chain of custody' materials handling practice utilised to frame acceptable industry standards.
Sustainability and technology are combined to benefit the catalogue industry's 'greenness' in the production of commercial catalogue papers and printing. These include:
- The 'chain-of-custody' monitoring of certified papers produced from fibre grown in sustainable plantations
- paper production has witnessed a 63% reduction in water use since 1990
- TCF (Total Chlorine Free) and ECF (Elemental Chlorine Free) bleaching processes have significantly reduced the use of toxic chemicals
- Australian plantations and commercial forests remove annually a net 43.7 Mt of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
- for printing, the use of CTP and auto blanket washing has reduced solvent and water use by almost 90% since 1990
- current printing press technology is reportedly up to 60% more energy-efficient than 20 years ago. In addition, paper industries are significant employers throughout regional Australia where most pulp and paper mills are located. The overall eco-objective shared by all producers is to achieve eco-efficiency, by the linking of environmental and financial performance.
All pulp and paper plants are significant manufacturing enterprises, and are therefore licensed to operate by individual state Environmental Agencies (EPA). Licensing criteria include:
- reduced energy consumption
- reduced greenhouse gas emissions
- improved water-use efficiencies
- increased utilization rates of recycled fibre
- reduced waste to landfill
- improved quality of emissions to air and water
