More recycled fibres produced from recovered paper are now being used in papermaking. The choice of good recycled papers available in New Zealand is increasing. In the past "recycled paper" only had to include materials recovered after the initial paper manufacturing process meaning some "recycled papers" may have contained mill scraps only.

Today our expectations are higher and most recycled paper buyers specify post-consumer
content to be a minimum 30% with the aim of reaching 100%.

Post-Consumer Material (PCW) is a general term for paper that is recovered before it reaches its end-user. It may include mill scrap from finishing and converting operations at the paper mill but does not include mill broke which is machine trim or undesirable paper that is capable of being reworked within the same process that generated it. Typically the term pre-consumer includes converters, printers and others who are adding value but are not the intended end-user.

Because there are different interpretations about what pre and post consumer means, ask your paper supplier to be clear about what definition they use.

Recovered paper needs to be de-inked before it can be reused. This process needs some chemicals and energy. Every tonne of recycled paper usually leaves about 100-150 kg of residue in the form of de-inking waste, which is most commonly burned for energy production.

Bleaching whitens pulp and eliminates impurities. Pulp is bleached in several consecutive stages.
The type and amount of bleaching chemicals depends on how the pulp has been produced and the degree of brightness required. The most common terms are:-

No chlorine or chlorine compounds used to make the paper, which means the paper must come from virgin (new) fiber. TCF pulp accounts for 7% of pulp produced worldwide primarily from Northern and Central Europe.

No chlorine gas, but chlorine oxide or other agents containing chlorine are used for bleaching. ECF paper can contain virgin or recycled fibres and accounts for 75% of all chemically produced pulp. ECF produces a higher yield and stronger fibres which enhances its recyclability compared to TCF. Studies find that if produced in modern mills there is no difference between ECF or TCF pulp in terms of their impact on the aquatic environment.

Recycled paper processed back into paper using no chlorine or chlorine compounds. Because most bleaching is done using chlorine and chlorine compounds recycled paper must be assumed to include scrap paper that was previously chlorine-bleached. Even when a recycling mill uses no chlorine products in its processes, minute traces of chlorine cannot be ruled out in finished paper made from recovered paper.

A slight preference in our assessment has been given to TCF and PCF however we note that the European Commission and the US Environmental Protection Agency have recognized ECF bleaching as Best Available Technology.

A revolutionary paper product manufactured without wood pulp will be launched in New Zealand in early 2010. Produced from ground waste marble and tile off-cuts, Rockstock claims to be the world¡¦s most environmentally friendly paper. New Zealand agents Alan Good and Rob Fenwick say it uses little energy to produce; generates no water effluent and is recyclable and biodegradable. It has superior handling qualities to conventional paper, is completely waterproof and is tear resistant. Rockstock is expected
to be used extensively in retail carry-bags because of its printing values and by others looking for high sustainability properties. Product claims have been certified by international authorities and with an extraordinarily low emission footprint, it is seeking carboNZero certification.

Eco-labeling is designed to identify goods or services that put least burden on the environment. An ¡§eco-label¡¨ depicts the overall environmental favorability of a product or service based on life cycle considerations and is awarded by an impartial third-party. In New Zealand the Ministry for the Environment endorses the Environmental Choice label (EC¡V26¡V04 Office Paper Products).
http://www.enviro-choice.org.nz/standards/EC26_product_list.html

Other global labels which can be demonstrated to meet similar standards are Environmental Choice (Australia), Nordic Swan, EU Flower or Blue Angel (Europe), EcoMark (Japan).

There are environmental process management systems which demonstrate that the company is working to reduce the environmental impacts of its operations. These include ISO 14001, EU Ecomanagement
& Audit Scheme (EMAS), or EnviroMark. EMAS requires details of performance to be publicised.

We give preference to product related labels but recognize that process related systems are important because they provide practical tools for continuous improvement in environmental performance and energy efficiency.

We have used a fairly crude assessment of each paper¡¦s carbon footprint which is based on the distance traveled to bring the paper to New Zealand. Transport is typically around 20% of total emissions. Hence our assessment clearly does not capture differing efficiencies in processing around the world.

However environmental management systems (as listed above) require continuous improvement to reduce emissions, effluents and wastes with third party verification and provide a good indicator of
processing efficiencies.

Brightness is an aesthetic consideration in paper selection and is therefore subjective. Optical characteristics can be discerned by the human eye and depend on the degree to which the fibres are bleached.

Brightness is the reflection of light from the paper surface which can be measured with different standards. The measurement we have used is the CIE (Commission on Illumination) value. This value can vary considerably between papers. Brightness affects the readability of the paper, so grades
with high brightness are mainly used for colour printing. Optical Brighteners, also known as OBA or Fluorescent Brighteners or dyes, are used in paper and paper coatings to make very high bright, blue-white papers.

Some eco-labels restrict use of OBAs because they do not biodegrade easily. Paper can be made sufficiently white by bleaching however whilst some people recommend that if you must specify
brightness, a minimum of 84 should satisfy your needs, we have found that companies often prefer a higher level. We have included where optical brighteners have been identified as part of the process.

Increasingly opacity is more important than brightness today because doublesided copies must be legible and the more opaque a paper is, the less show-through there will be. Recycled paper tends to have a higher opacity.

Cost issues are often a major concern to buyers choosing environmental papers however price differentials on recycled papers are reducing and as the market for sustainable papers increases, this will
continue. We have given an indication of the feedback we have received on price from a small sample however recommend that you talk directly to your paper supplier to ask for comparative prices.

Glossary
Chain of custody	This verifies the origin of the wood and traces its progress from forest to mill to produ