Environment - Consumables

International paper merchant PaperlinX has successfully expanded its recycling service called YoYo. Initially designed to make it easier for offices to recycle waste paper, the programme now extends to recover additional waste materials for Robert Horne Group, The Paper Company and Howard Smith Paper Group commercial print customers, and Robert Horne Group sign and display customers. The service operates both in the UK and via Ospap in Continental Europe.

In the UK, PaperlinX supply chain partners include over 600 local and national expert waste service providers. By operating a highly flexible brokerage model, the company is able to tailor-make individual solutions for each customer to meet their specific service needs. In direct response to customer demand, PaperlinX extended the programme to recover additional segregated materials in paper, plastic and aluminium, to create second life products. The efficient logistics operation both saves raw materials and provides customers with recycled product options.

Customer feedback has been really positive. “We are delighted with the way the programme is delivering real customer value,” says Bob Latham, Head of Sustainability at PaperlinX.

Gary Hassell, Director, Aurora Graphics, Birmingham adds, “The YoYo recycling scheme has significantly improved our recycling rates and has enhanced our company’s sustainable credentials.”

“We are delighted with the services supplied by YoYo,” says Martin Wheatley of Melville Exhibitions in Coventry. “Since we started at our Coventry site we have seen both an increase in recycling and a reduction in costs. We have now awarded YoYo contracts to our five other UK sites and we anticipate useful administration savings as well as management information for waste compliance regulations.”

Commenting on the service, Richard Green, Director, Sign Specialists, Birmingham says, “We are very impressed with the new YoYo recycling scheme, it works extremely well in terms of managing our waste and has improved our recycling rates and manufacturing efficiencies.”

Following the success of the UK service, the first YoYo scheme on the Continent is running at PaperlinX’s Czech Republic subsidiary, Ospap. Over a twelve month pilot, the company has seen a rapid rise in customer demand for its collection and materials sorting service. Last month nearly 200 tonnes of materials were recovered and sorted. In addition, utilising its own logistics for returns has also helped the company enhance the carbon efficiency of its delivery fleet.

International Paper has produced the fourth issue of The Environmental Post, the company’s very own “Green Newspaper” which contains news, features and facts on the latest developments at International Paper - and the paper industry in general - in the area of sustainability and the environment.

The new issue of The Environmental Post highlights International Paper EMEA’s initiative to align and formalise the environmental policy of its two core businesses in the region, Papers EMEA and EMEA Packaging. The policy has been embarked upon in response to customer demand for greater transparency, and centres around four platforms. These are

• managing natural resources
• managing its footprint
• recycling
• product innovation.

The initiative is an important milestone in International Paper’s efforts to improve its environmental performance and communication, and also includes the production of materials aimed at both customers and employees.

Also included within The Environmental Post are news items informing that two more of International Paper’s mills at Kwidzyn and Luiz Antonio have successfully passed the European Ecolabel audit, which will allow International Paper to apply the Ecolabel logo to its paper brands from these two mills.

With its inclusion in the FTSE4Good Index, International Paper has also been included on one of the most respected “good company” lists, in recognition of its successful and ongoing sustainability efforts.

Other topics featured within The Environmental Post include the release of International Paper’s latest 2010 Sustainability Report, documenting a wide range of topics and issues, including the company’s environmental performance and practices throughout the year.

Another publication recently released by International Paper EMEA is The Little Book of Commonsense, a new booklet which explains why paper is the real sustainable choice, and also provides some commonsense pointers to the paper discussion. The Littlebook of Commonsense is available in nine languages and can be obtained by emailing David.Higgins@ipaper.com

All of International Paper’s corrugated packaging plants in France have now been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which will provide International Paper’s customers with a credible link between responsible production and consumption of forest products.

The Environmental Post also reports on the success of the Two Sides campaign, in which some 27 major UK corporates, including banks, building societies, utilities and telecoms, have all been persuade to change or amend their e-billing messages. International Paper supports Two Sides, contributing financially every year to its development.

And finally, readers of The Environmental Post are invited to test their paper & forest knowledge, with a fun, online quiz about our precious natural resource. Readers can find out how by entering at www.internationalpaper.com/EMEA/Forest

For copies of The Environmental Post, please contact Mike Robertson, International Paper’s UK & Ireland Country Manager at mike.robertson@ipaper.com

A leading signs and graphics specialist and a display materials supplier have joined forces under a new eco-friendly initiative that aims to boost their waste recycling and save them money.  The Pyramid Recycling Initiative means hundreds of tons of waste, including PVC, acrylic, polypropylene, aluminium composite and polycarbonate, which may otherwise have been sent to land-fill will instead be recycled.

The move means that Birmingham-based Hollywood Monster, and Pyramid Display Materials, which has bases in Birmingham, Manchester and Gateshead, will reduce their carbon footprint, improve their green credentials and save money in the process.  In one month alone, Hollywood Monster has saved over 30% of its land-fill costs.

Pyramid’s head of sales and marketing Neil McCarthy said the company used the move to its new 40,000 sq ft property in Manchester earlier this year to completely review its waste and recycling policy.  The company had previously had some recycling initiatives in place but was also paying to have several wheelie bins of mixed waste material removed every other day. The same procedure was operated by branches in Birmingham and Gateshead. Pyramid now works with a company called RETECH, based in Halifax, which supplies all its branches with separate metal cages for seven separate waste categories. The initiative has been so successful it has extended it to selected customers including Hollywood Monster.

Pyramid uses a separate recycling company for its paper and board and general mixed waste. All waste - the majority from cutting and converting for customers - is carefully separated and put into the relevant cage, he said.

Some materials that contain different products like self-adhesive vinyl (PVC face film and paper liner) have to go in mixed waste. For all RETECH cage waste the company receives an agreed price per ton, per category. It currently recycles around 30 tons of waste per month.

Hollywood Monster facilities manager Daren Hollins said: “Hollywood Monster has a strong commitment to introducing and improving ways of combating waste. We always do what we can to operate in an environmentally responsible manner. By working with our suppliers we are able to recycle as many products as possible.”

Neil added: “We are delighted to be able to help Hollywood Monster with their recycling initiatives. As Pyramid, from our own waste we now recycle over 30 tons of various display materials including polypropylene, aluminium composite and foam PVC to name but a few.

“When Hollywood Monster asked if we could help them with their own waste we were more than happy to assist by supplying them with recycling cages. It has created a win-win situation for both companies.”

[photo shows Hollywood Monster's facilities manager, Darren Hollins]

Antalis McNaughton has sponsored 7,500 sheets of Cocoon Silk 100% recycled 300gsm paper and 40 boxes of FSC self adhesive labels for posters and leaflets to promote FSC Friday.  FSC Friday is an annual celebration of responsible forestry. Each year, schools, businesses, youth groups and other organisations from across the country get involved in spreading the word about FSC and responsible forestry. This year, it will take place on September 30th.

Matthew Botfield, Environment Manager for Antalis McNaughton commented: “We are delighted to supply the paper and labels to promote this years’ FSC Friday.  Our partnership with FSC is an important factor in our continuing journey to improve the sustainability of our business and to help our customers do the same.”

Last year Antalis McNaughton received the prestigious FSC Global Partner Award for outstanding achievements in promoting the FSC brand.  Antalis McNaughton has been working with FSC since 2003 when they became certified for chain of custody in the UK.

Cocoon Silk is a high quality coated paper and board range made entirely from 100% genuine de-inked post consumer waste. Cocoon Silk 100 offers a bright white shade and clean appearance along with excellent print results. Available in 100gsm to 350gsm, Cocoon Silk 100 is FSC certified.

The Wide Format Company has unveiled a new website focused exclusively on recyclable and biodegradable sign solutions: www.BuyGreenSigns.com

At www.BuyGreenSigns.com, anyone with basic internet skills can create and customise signs, banners and posters using state-of-the-art web tools. Design simple or complex graphics without installing any software. Easily upload images, add text, insert Facebook photos and pick from a large selection of ClipArt. Create a graphic and then order the sign printed on a variety of Eco-Friendly printing material.

For many years the large format printing industry had very few options for those looking to be “Green”. The few options offered by the local sign shop were very high in price. This is what makes BuyGreenSigns.com so different.  There is a huge selection of printing materials for banners, posters, plastic signs, cardboard signs, backlits and even biodegradable foam boards. Virtually anything you want can now be done in an eco-friendly way. The website will not allow someone to create a sign that is non-Recyclable or non-Biodegradable. Example: Lamination is not allowed on an HP Tyvek Banner because the special biodegradable laminate will disrupt the Tyvek recycling process. However, the BioLam is perfectly compatible with other biodegradable paper poster materials. The site is designed to lead the customer down a "green" path and help them avoid eco-harmful options.

As one of the leading HP Graphics Elite Partners in the Northwest region of the USA, it is only natural that BuyGreenSigns.com (operated by The Wide Format Company) would offer a variety of HP material options. HP has always provided premium printing materials. Now they are going one step further to help the end user keep things “Green”. HP is making huge efforts to help the environment via their “HP Large Format Media Take-Back Program”. Using this program anyone can send their banners and posters back to HP free of charge. HP will then properly recycle them for you. Simply go to the HP website, fill out the online form and print out the UPS label.

“This is an exciting new concept from HP and we plan to support it fully. There are still a lot of places that don’t allow these large printing materials in standard recycling bins. Now a customer can feel good about their purchase knowing that HP will take care of the recycling process when they’re done,” comments Neil Johnston, Special Projects Coordinator at The Wide Format Company.

A new environmental tool from Domtar Corporation offers customers the ability to view the environmental impacts of specific paper grades, providing unmatched transparency among today's industry calculators.

The online tool - named the "Paper Trail" - discloses what it takes to manufacture Domtar paper and assists businesses and consumers to measure their impact on the environment while also providing guidance in their choice of product.

The Paper Trail (www.domtarpapertrail.com) develops personalised reports that measure Domtar products across five categories: water usage, the distance fibre travels to a paper mill, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, waste sent to landfills and renewable energy usage. The data is displayed in real-world equivalents, with comparisons to issues such as the amount of water the average household uses or the amount of waste it generates. The Paper Trail will also illustrate how Domtar compares to the rest of the industry in these particular categories.

"We know consumers are increasingly aware of their effect on the environment and want to know where their paper comes from. We think we have a good story to tell, and part of that story is being transparent," said Lewis Fix, Domtar Vice President of Sustainable Business and Brand Management.

"Other paper calculators often give only part of the story," Fix said. "They usually compare recycled and non-recycled grades and the differences in resources used, and they estimate savings based only on industry averages. The Paper Trail will show Domtar mill-specific data, and since no company is environmentally perfect, it indicates what we are doing well and what needs to be improved. We think it's crucial to share all the information, and then let the customers make their own decisions."

The Paper Trail is Domtar's most recent project indicating its leadership as a sustainable paper company and highlighting its environmentally preferable paper products, which have earned the support of well-known environmental organisations such the Rainforest Alliance.

Initially, the Paper Trail will measure the impact of two Domtar products: EarthChoice Office Paper and Cougar, both of which have been certified to the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which is recognised by the Rainforest Alliance as the world's most comprehensive certification for responsible forest management. As part of the EarthChoice product line, they help form the broadest and most flexible collection of environmentally responsible papers available in the marketplace. More products and mills will likely be added to this new and exciting online tool in the future.

The Paper Trail will also provide users with a look at Domtar's mills - all of which are in North America - with additional information about each facility's environmental impact and the social and economic benefits the mills have in their communities. In areas where the environmental impact can be improved, Domtar will voluntarily disclose the information, as well as provide efforts for improvement.

"Transparency means sharing everything, not just the highlights, and just as we are committed to developing responsible products, we are committed to transparency," Fix said. "Realising our paper comes from sustainable sources and is easily recycled, Domtar customers can see the differences and use our products with greater confidence."