Paper has a major impact on our environment. Billions of trees are cut down each year by forestry companies to supply paper product manufacturers.
Why do we still rely on paper-based products?
Did you ever throw out old documents or paper-based products in the trash or recycling bin without any second thought about the impact of those actions on the environment? Probably, and so have many others. It is time to understand the impacts of paper on our environment and take actions to decrease their use, increase their life cycle and increase recycling habits.
Paper waste has been a significant concern worldwide for many years. The production of paper-based products affects the environment. It is responsible for deforestation and greenhouse gas production, to name a few.
Furthermore, the pulp and paper industry are among the world’s largest generators of air and water pollutants, waste products, and the gasses that cause climate change. It is also one of the most significant users of raw materials, including freshwater, energy, and cellulose fibers. [2]
In this article, we will talk about how intensive tree harvesting and paper-based products are affecting the environment, from forestry companies to paper product manufacturers and consumers. We provide some insights and solutions on how we as individuals and companies can improve and grow towards a sustainable, paperless future.
What is the negative impact of paper production and use on our environment?
The invention of paper caused our civilization to thrive. It gave rise to currency, bureaucracy, and modern communication and even caused panic over technological change; from the Egyptians and Romans to our current civilization, the necessity of paper has been critical, even in today’s digital era. But the negative impact of paper cannot be ignored, no matter how vital paper still is in our lives.
Paper Production Requires a Lot of Trees
Trees are the primary material for producing paper-based products; they are harvested for their cellulose fibers. Every day, we use paper in different forms, from notebooks, newspapers, laminated documents, to toilet paper. Unfortunately, our consumption requires billions of trees to be cut down every year, which continues to increase the rate of deforestation throughout our planet.
In some cases, forestry and manufacturing companies plant new seedlings on the properties where they harvest trees, known as “managed forests”.
The dominant driver of degradation in Latin America and Asia was logging for products such as timber, paper, and pulp – this accounted for more than 70%. [9]
Paper Production Causes Air Pollution
The pulp and paper industry is one of the world’s biggest environmental polluters. In the USA alone, the industry is responsible for 20% of all industrial releases of toxic waste into the air. [3]
During paper production, different toxic gasses are emitted from the factories. These gasses are ammonia, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, nitrates, mercury, benzene, methanol, volatile organic compounds, and chloroform.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO), sulfur dioxide (SO), and carbon dioxide (CO2) are gasses that commonly cause acid rain. Acid rain affects the environment in dangerous ways. It has a direct impact on freshwater, forests, and soil. It also affects the production of crops. And then, there is carbon dioxide, which is the leading cause of global warming.
Water Pollution
Pulp and paper production cause not only air pollution, but also cause water pollution. It is single-handedly responsible for 9 % of all industrial releases of toxic waste into water bodies in the USA. [4]
The paper and pulp mills produce nutrients, solids, and dissolved elements like lignin. They mix with nearby water bodies. Bleach and chlorine are common chemicals for manufacturing paper.
These toxic elements used to produce paper-based products also find their way to the water sources and streams. These pollutants kill helpful microbes and insects in the water. Water plants also suffer because of these toxins.
Not only that, paper production wastes enormous amounts of water. For example, about 324 liters of water are needed to produce 1 kilogram of paper [8]. It requires 10 liters of water to produce a single A4 sheet of paper!
Produces Multiple Solid Waste
The solid wastes produced by paper production pollute water. Everyday millions of people throw out paper-based products. Some of these waste items find their way to landfills, which is tragic, as paper-based products could be recycled, increasing their lifecycle.
Municipal Solid paper waste occupies about 17% of the world’s landfill space. Studies show that about 40% of waste in the USA is from paper products [6]; paper waste needs a large amount of space. Even agricultural lands are used to store this large scale of waste.
Paper production adds to global greenhouse gas emissions
We know that paper production creates toxic gasses and wastes. Some of these gasses are greenhouse gasses (GHG). According to research, about 21% of these greenhouse gasses come from pulp and paper mills [10].
Most of the emissions take place during the production phase of paper. The rest of GHG is produced from deforestation and the emissions from landfills.
Use of Energy
Did you know that the pulp and paper industry is the fifth largest consumer of energy resources worldwide?
It uses about 4 to 5 percent of the world’s energy [5]. In addition, billions of trees and tons of water are needed to produce paper-based products for the world’s growing population.
The primary raw material is trees (Pulpwood). Even if the manufacturers of paper-based products plant new trees to reduce the impact of deforestation, it takes years for saplings to grow into trees. Besides, trees are not the only resources needed. Manufacturers also use different energy sources such as oil, gas, and electricity to run their operations.
How To Reduce the Negative Impact of Paper?
A lot of damage has already been done; however, we can still influence and control the production and use of paper-based products by modifying our lifestyle habits and educating companies and individuals on more sustainable alternatives. Our single most significant challenge is taking the first step in acknowledging reality and changing how we think and define our relationship with mother nature.
Tangible actions and education will help us reduce the negative impact and promote sustainable alternatives for the long term.
Here are some ways we as individuals and businesses can manage the effects of paper:
- Individuals can encourage each other to reduce, reuse, and recycle paper.
- Whenever possible, purchase or use recycled paper-based products to reduce the need to harvest trees.
- Make fewer copies. Make only as many copies as you need.
- Print double-sided copies whenever possible.
- Store documents in electronic archives. Don’t print hard copies for storage in filing cabinets.
- Use digital versions of books, files, and documents.
- Use sustainably sourced paper-based products.
- Promote the use of reusable products instead of one-time-use products.
- Change your vision about our environment, our relation to our planet, and our duty towards future generations. Small changes in our attitudes will make a lasting impact in the long term.
As a consumer, you can take many steps to reduce paper-based product waste. These small efforts can promote a more sustainable way to improve our environment, safe keep our natural resources, and protect our future, from businesses to individuals.
Green Tech – a promising technology ecosystem for sustainable living
What is the definition of green technology? Also known as Green Tech, it’s a technology whose use is intended to mitigate or reverse the effects of human activity on the environment [1].
The Green Tech industry grows exponentially, continuously surpassing growth predictions with the biggest lead markets, including energy efficiency, sustainable mobility, and sustainable water management.
CARTLY digital business cards are an ecological alternative to paper business cards
Did you know people throw out about 88% of paper business cards in just less than seven days? So much paper and other resources are wasted when making business cards, yet people dispose of them without a second thought.
So, why not use a more efficient method to share your business information?
CARTLY was founded to provide businesses and individuals with a paperless alternative to regular business cards.
Given the many technological advances and high ownership of smartphones, we’ve always wondered why giving out paper business cards with digital information was still so common nowadays. Yet, most businesses and individuals still carry and exchange paper business cards, and it seems it is one of the last business tools to resist change.
CARTLY is an eco-friendly digital business card company we help businesses and individuals transform their business cards into an interactive profile with added benefits.
- Save on production and design costs.
- Deploy your business cards instantly and quickly.
- Manage your business card fleet from any device.
- Invest in a business card that provides you with a tangible ROI.
Gain a competitive advantage compared to your competition
Gain valuable insights from the performance of your digital business card, provide a bi-directional exchange of contact with recipients, and allow them a one-tap save solution for your business card details to their device’s address book.
Sources [1] ENGELKE, P., JACKSON, M., & BELL, R. (2021, January). Issue brief innovation ecosystems - atlantic council. Atlantic Council. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Greentech-Issue-Brief-2021-1.pdf [2] The Environmental Paper Summit. (2016, December 15). A common vision for transforming the paper industry: Striving for environmental and Social Sustainability. NRDC. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://www.nrdc.org/resources/common-vision-transforming-paper-industry-striving-environmental-and-social-sustainability [3] Environmental Protection Agency. (2021, January). Air Releases by Chemical & Industry. EPA. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://www.epa.gov/trinationalanalysis/air-releases-chemical-industry [4] Environmental Protection Agency. (2021, January). Water Releases by Chemical & Industry. EPA. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://www.epa.gov/trinationalanalysis/water-releases-chemical-industry [5] Haggith, M., Kinsella, S., & Baffoni, S. (2018, April). Environmental Paper Network | Transforming the pulp and ... Environmental Paper. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://environmentalpaper.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/StateOfTheGlobalPaperIndustry2018_FullReport-Final-1.pdf [6] Kaza, S., Yao, L., Bahda-Tata, P., & Van Woerden, F. (2018). What a waste 2.0. Trends in Solid Waste Management. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://datatopics.worldbank.org/what-a-waste/trends_in_solid_waste_management.html [7] Paper / on the Rocks. (2021, April 21). What is the environmental impact of deforestation for paper production? Paper / on the Rocks. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://paperontherocks.com/2018/11/28/environmental-impact-of-deforestation/ [8] Paper Waste Facts. The world counts. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/Paper-Waste-Facts. [9] Ritchie, H., & Roser, M. (2021, February 9). Deforestation and forest loss. Our World in Data. Retrieved February 5, 2022, from https://ourworldindata.org/deforestation [10] Tomberlin, K., Venditti, R., & Yao, Y. (2019, September 5). Life cycle carbon footprint analysis of Pulp and paper grades in the United States using production-line-based data and Integration. NC State. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://bioresources.cnr.ncsu.edu/resources/life-cycle-carbon-footprint-analysis-of-pulp-and-paper-grades-in-the-united-states-using-production-line-based-data-and-integration/#:~:text=The%20results%20indicated%20that%20one,per%20metric%20ton%20of%20produc.