Purchasing paper products

Although trees are a renewable resource, the full life cycle of the production and use of paper can create significant negative environmental impacts.  This includes air and water pollution, soil erosion, loss of forest habitat and waste to landfill. Globally, the paper lifecycle is a key contributor to climate change. This is due to the energy intensity of the paper production industry and methane from land-filled paper

Tips for reducing paper usage

The best way to minimise your impact  is to use paper resources more efficiently, and reuse,  and recycle where possible.   Some examples:

• use double-sided printing options, and use paper printed on one side for drafts
• instead of getting takeaway coffee in paper cups, take a refillable mug

• ensure paper waste from your home and workplace go to a recycling programme.

What to look for when buying paper products

You can also make a difference in choosing which paper products to buy:

• choose products that have a high recycled content (this helps keep paper out of landfills and reduces the forest-to-pulp part of lifecycle impacts)
• look for Forest Stewardship Council or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes  certified paper to know that the wood came from a sustainably managed source

            

• look for unbleached, “not re-bleached” recycled, totally chlorine free (TCF), or Environmental Choice NZ labelled products
• look for paper products listed on the Ministry for the Environment Paper Buyers Guide.