New Leaf Paper on Recycled vs. Virgin Paper

Lots of good stuff here about the importance of recycling paper and using recycled paper...

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Fiction: FSC & AFF virgin fiber comes from sustainably managed forests.

Fact: In managed forests, trees are generally replanted, but replanting trees is not the same as preserving natural forests. Tree plantations are monocultures that do not provide the same wildlife habitat or support the biodiversity of natural forests. "In the U.S. South, where most of the trees used to make paper are grown, the area of natural pine forest declined from about 72 million acres in 1953 to 33 million acres in 1999. During the same period, pine plantations grew from 2 million acres to 32 million acres, and are projected to reach 54 million acres in 2040, in large part at the expense of natural forests."[1] Increasing the use of recycled paper helps reduce the need to convert natural forests to tree farms.

Fiction: Recycled paper uses more energy to produce than virgin fiber paper.

Fact: Recycled paper may sometimes use more purchased energy from the power grid, but this is only because virgin fiber processes can burn wood waste to generate energy on-site (a process that has similar environmental impacts to other energy sources). "Recycled paper requires less total energy to manufacture than virgin paper, even when factoring in energy required to collect and transport recovered paper compared to energy used to harvest and transport timber."[2] Compared with 100% virgin fiber paper, 100% recycled copy paper uses 44% less total energy.

Fiction: Paper has a low carbon footprint.

Fact: Globally, deforestation accounts for 25% of carbon emissions caused by human activity.[3] The decomposition of paper in landfills also produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Overall, it is estimated that compared with 100% virgin fiber copy paper, 100% recycled copy paper reduces net greenhouse gas emissions by 38%.[4]

Fiction: Most paper is recycled already and therefore does not contribute significantly to landfills (paper is the most recycled product and recovery rate is growing).

Fact: Paper accounts for an average of 40% of landfill volume. In landfills paper decomposes and releases methane, a greenhouse gas. Recycling paper (and purchasing recycled paper) reduces the amount of waste we send to landfills and incinerators. When compared with 100% virgin fiber copy paper, 100% recycled copy paper is estimated to reduce solid waste by 49%.[5]

Fiction: Manufacturing recycled paper requires more water.

Fact: Making paper from recycled fibers both uses less water and results in less wastewater pollution than making paper from virgin fibers. When compared with 100% virgin fiber copy paper, 100% recycled copy paper is estimated to reduce wastewater volume by 50%.[6]

[1] Environmental Defense Fund. FAQs: Environmental benefits of recycled paper. http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagid=24437

[2] Environmental Paper Network, State of the Paper Industry, 2007: http://www.environmentalpaper.com/documents/StateOfPaperIndSm.pdf

[3] Environmental Paper Network, Understanding Recycled Fiber, June 2007: http://www.greenpressinitiative.org/documents/recycledfiberfactsheet-EPN.pdf

[4-6] See 2.

PVC

As an engineer for an infant car seat company, I realize the tremendous pressure of designing safe products for babies and the world. That begins with understanding of what materials to use (or not).

PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is one such material that has gotten a bad rap. It is a polymer of vinyl chloride, a known human carcinogen. Although, just because the monomer is dangerous, it should not necessarily mean that the polymer is dangerous? However, PVC factories raise vinyl chloride emissions and exposes workers and neighboring areas to the dangers. Other emissions from the manufacture of PVC are dioxins, which are a group of chlorinated hydrocarbons. Dioxins affect the growth regulation of cells, with some causing cancer in animals and increasing the cancer incidence in all sites for humans. Dioxins were used in Agent Orange, a powerful herbicide used in the Vietnam War. Incineration of PVC also releases dioxins, as well as hydrogen chloride gas (which forms hydrochloric acid when inhaled).

Most parents, however, are thinking mainly of the effects of PVC on their children. Rightly so, because PVC is known to have other additives that tend to leach out over the lifetime, including lead, cadmium, mercury. Some additives called plasticizers help make flexible PVC more durable. The most highly publicized plasticizers are phthalates. The most common phthalate in PVC (up to 40%) is DEHP, which is possibly carcinogenic to humans. DEHP cannot be taken up easily through the skin, but children are exposed by mouthing on PVC or through contaminated breast milk. Since DEHP does not easily disappear from the environment, bioaccumulation is a concern. The easy solution to limit children's exposure to DEHP is by avoiding PVC.

What about food safe PVC? That typically refers to PVC with a low phthalate content, so heating food carries a lower potential of chemicals leaching out. Considering that the lifecycle of PVC is so chemical intensive, it is easy to see why the food industry has been slowly switching to other plastics.

And the medical industry? Rigid PVC carries less of a chemical risk because of the lack of plasticizers, but there has been a move to replace PVC tubing with other flexible materials.

Bottom line: there are healthier alternatives than using PVC, so we have no excuse not to explore them.

be brave; do good

Another speaker at Compostmodern 2008 was Scott Stowell from Open, a New York Design Studio. He spoke extensively about Good Magazine, but the one thing that stuck in my mind was their business model. Apparently the average magazine spends $40 on advertising for each new subscriber. But the founders at Good wanted to re-think that notion and spend their money on a much, much worthier cause: they're giving all of it away. It costs $40 to subscribe, and ALL the money is donated to an organization of your choice. Though they claim this is just an experiment, Good has been in business since 2004. Keep up the Good Work!!!

Alex Steffen from WorldChanging.com

According to the World Resources Institute, the US is the largest cause of carbon gas emissions. It is almost universally acknowledged that the rising CO2 level is linked to global warming. Reversing this trend is the only way to solve our climate change crisis.

The bad news is that the earth is already reaching a breaking point. According to Jim Hansen, we've past the tipping point of 350ppm, which is the highest level of carbon dioxide the earth can sustain. It is still possible to reduce our current emissions to lower the numbers, but it certainly won't be easy. We need to reduce our impact by 90% by 2030.

The attitude that the world is embracing is one of: "Where's mine?" Developing countries are following in the footsteps of already industrialized nations. We're in no position to preach, and they don't want to listen. It will take more than simply changing our behavior to fix this problem; we need to make a systemic change.

A typical drill gets used only a total of 8-20 minutes over the course of its lifetime. But we don't necessarily want the drill--we just want the hole! We need to re-think products we want and place the emphasis on services. For example, NetFlix eliminates people driving to rental stores, which has a larger effect than just gas emissions. The impacts of driving a car start with manufacturing and spill over to maintenance aspects and road systems. Another good case study: Zipcar. Car sharing effectively takes 6 cars off the road and not only due to the space saved. People are more aware of how much they drive and because of that, it improves their driving efficiency. Being aware of use cuts use.

As designers, we need to take more responsibility for our products. We need to end the concept of ownership by taking back our products and effectively and safely close the manufacturing loop. In this day and age of the internet, there are no secrets. Transparency of our supply chain will become inextricably tied to sustainability.

But the end goal is not just about sacrificing ourselves for the environment. We want to have more time, more energy, more happiness, and more beauty. We need to redefine affluence so that it is all those things AND guilt free. What would that look like?

introduction to fuh2

After attending Compostmodern 2008, I was inspired to take a stand and hold the line regarding the responsibility of designers to the world. The post title refers to the growing backlash towards the Hummer. What is "good design" and who is it good for?

But this movement is more than about the designers... it's about re-thinking our society and what "green" is. Sustainability should be about better living in all senses.

I'm still processing a lot of the ideas presented, but I think a good first step is based around the idea that we cannot manage what we cannot measure. Of course with that, we cannot measure what we do not understand. My hope is that this blog will become an open forum for learning and understanding. Please join the discussion.