Environmentally Preferable
Paper Purchasing Guide
You can influence the paper production process through the paper attributes that you demand, as well as through the products that you specify or reject. Consumer demand has long been an important driver in the development of environmentally preferable papers and in influencing the technologies and investments necessary to make them. Conservatree suggests that paper purchasers implement the following guidelines.

Make a Commitment

• Develop an organizational policy commitment to purchase paper with increasingly enhanced environmental characteristics as specified in these guidelines, and set a timetable for the transition. Communicate the commitment to managers and staff, suppliers, customers, partners and the public.

Minimize Paper Consumption

• Eliminate excessive and unnecessary paper consumption. Visit www.forestethics.org/reduction for paper reduction strategies. Examples include:
• Purchasing copiers, printers and fax machines that can be set to default to double-sided printing.
• Maximizing paper use efficiency in business and other settings.
• Rethinking design processes to minimize printing and copying waste.
• Minimizing unsolicited mail, both sent and received.
• Minimizing overruns and maximizing sell-through for published materials.

Maximize Recycled Content

• Eliminate the use of paper and paper products (including newsprint, packaging, tissue products, office papers and publications) made from 100 percent virgin fiber content.
• Switch to paper that contains the highest post-consumer recycled content feasible for each specific need, but no less than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) minimums for federal agencies. Currently the EPA minimums for printing and writing papers, for example, are 30 percent for uncoated papers and 10 percent for coated papers.
• After switching to recycled paper, set a timeline for increasing the post-consumer content as quickly as possible to higher percentages. For printing and writing papers, this should be no less than 50 percent for uncoated papers and 30 percent for coated papers. Notify suppliers that papers with these contents or higher are expected.
• After maximizing post-consumer recycled content, give preference to paper products that also contain other recovered materials (e.g., agricultural residues, pre-consumer fiber).

Be Selective about Virgin Fiber Content

• FSC Certification: Give preference to papers with a remaining virgin tree fiber content that comes from independent, third-party certified forest managers that employ the most environmentally and socially responsible forest management and restoration practices. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is the only acceptable international certification program that comes close to meeting this guidance. (NOTE: FSC supply is not always available,but it will become increasingly available over time if requested.)
• Alternative Fibers: Give preference to papers made from alternative fiber crops (e.g., hemp, kenaf) if Life Cycle Analysis and other comprehensive and credible analysis indicates that alternative fibers are environmentally and socially preferable to other sources of virgin fiber.

Give Preference to Chlorine-Free Papers

• Give preference to papers processed without chlorine or chlorine compounds (i.e.,"processed chlorine free" or PCF papers), as long as they also meet recycled content goals. (NOTE: Papers processed without chlorine or chlorine compounds are not always available, but will become increasingly available over time if requested. For more information on pulping and bleaching technologies see our chapter about "Bleaching.")

Spread the Word

• Print on documents an accurate description of the attributes of the environmentally preferable papers used, in order to raise awareness and accountability.

Source: The Environmental Paper Summit, 2002