Tree-free Paper — Best Practices

Preferable Paper Practices

• Minimize the amount of virgin-wood fiber in paper:
  Choose a high-percentage postconsumer content paper. (The minimum should be 30 percent.)
• Specify a paper with tree-free content.
• If you do use a wood-based sheet, look into papers with FSC-certified, sustainably harvested materials. (Try to maximize the FSC-certified content.)
• Support chlorine-free pulping processes:
  Specify a virgin paper with totally chlorine free (TCF) processed pulp.
• Choose a recycled paper with processed chlorine free (PCF) pulp.
• Take a tree-free and high-percentage postconsumer fiber pledge:
  Create a paper policy that includes fiber content and processing specifications for your studio, company or organization.
• Always ask about paper fiber content and processing before purchasing.
• Consider Design and Production:
  Try to feature the natural color and texture of the paper surface in your design, rather than using full-coverage ink. In many cases, the colors will appear more vibrant.
• In terms of film separations, treat tree-free papers the way you would uncoated stocks.
• Get printed samples of the paper beforehand for both you and the film separator to ensure high-quality printing.
• Have the film separator and printer speak with each other so that they can talk about each others’ specifications and requirements in advance.
• Design from the parent size of the sheet to minimize waste.
• Use your influence with a supplier:
  If your quantities are large enough so that the supplier will be producing a custom order for your print run, consider increasing the quantity of postconsumer fiber content in the paper.
  Consider orienting the paper grain toward the long-side of the press; that way you go with the strength of the paper and can maximize the postconsumer content in the sheet.

Essential Terms and Acronyms in Paper Purchasing

Agricultural Crop Residues: “Ag residues” in non-wood jargon, these fibers are the by-products of food, oil or fiber production that often go underutilized. They include but are not limited to straw of various crops, corn stalks, bagasse (squeezed sugar cane), cotton linters (the fuzz that surrounds the seed) and banana stalks.

On-Purpose Fiber Crops: Crops farmed intentionally for fiber products such as kenaf, industrial hemp, bamboo and trees.

FSC Certified Wood (FSC): An international forestry standard that requires third-party certification of virgin wood products. FSC is a flexible system that requires foresters to adhere to strict environmental standards while still allowing for intensive selective harvesting. Present guidelines permit a paper to be labeled FSC even when only 70 percent of the virgin fiber has been certified as sustainably harvested. When selecting an FSC paper, check the content of FSC-virgin versus other virgin wood materials.

Totally Chlorine Free (TCF): A bleaching process that introduces no chlorines into the bleaching stage, using instead oxygen, hydrogen peroxide and ozone to separate and whiten fibers. Supporters say paper companies should be investing in this technology to eliminate chlorine and its toxic by-products, such as dioxin. Opponents say the environmental advantages don’t outweigh the investment costs.

Processed Chlorine Free or Chlorine Free Recycled (PCF): No new chlorine is introduced during the bleaching and pulping of recycled fibers. The process is qualified by admitting that the fibers might have previously been bleached with chlorine in some form.

Processed Chlorine Free: Papers using this term and logo are certified by the Chlorine Free Products Association to: contain no old growth; have used no chlorine or chlorine compounds in processing; be accurately labeled with the post-consumer content levels and contain a minimum of 30 percent post-consumer waste; be produced only in mills that have no pending or current environmental violations.

Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF): Describes a pulp bleaching process that substitutes chlorine dioxide or other chlorine compounds for elemental chlorine gas. Opponents argue that the term is a misnomer, that not all ECF processes are as effective as others, and that unless non-chlorine compounds are used in the early pulping stages, dioxins inevitably result. Supporters say ECF is an economically viable way to reduce emissions of toxic dioxins and other organochlorine compounds.

Post-consumer Waste (PCW): Post-consumer refers to recycled material that was collected from an end-user or consumer. In a perfect world, there would be no waste, just endless processes that find uses for perfectly good by-products.

Pre-consumer Materials: Pre-consumer describes material that never made it to the intended consumer; this may include scraps of extra paper produced during paper manufacture, which are typically recycled back through the mill, or even finished products like magazines or newspapers that were never sold or distributed.

Ancient Forest Friendly Papers: Also known as "Endangered Forests-free" these grades are produced from fibers that have not come from endangered or critical forest ecosystems. Fibers generally are post-consumer waste (Processed Chlorine Free) with a preference toward agricultural fibers as well. Totally Chlorine Free virgin wood fibers can be used to make up no more than 30% of the fiber content, but must be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Ancient Forest Friendly papers have been spearheaded by the Canadian Markets Initiative in an attempt to create market forces to protect the endangered northern boreal forests.

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