Paper choices are climate choices

Arjowiggins

Arjowiggins Graphic offers a range of recycled paper of between 50 and 100% of recycled fibres. When choosing one, you are closing the sustainable paper loop:

• The collection of recovered paper;
• The de-inking of fibres;
• The papermaking from recycled fibres; and,
• The opportunity to use this recycled paper again for print purposes.

Recycled paper is used for illustrated books, annual reports, school books, high-end magazines, advertising leaflets, brochures, invitation cards, greetings cards, posters, labels and point of sale advertising and playing cards.

The proof is in the paper

If 100% waste paper is used in the paper-making process, this uses on average five times less energy, three times less water than using virgin fibres and results in a carbon footprint 45% lower (see Table 1).

Recycled paper helps cut down the amount of waste paper sent to land-fill or for incineration, which then produces further greenhouse gases (GHG).
Recycling gives new life to paper fibres. Recycled paper is the right choice within any CSR policy.

Arjowiggins Graphic has committed to a long-term policy of decreasing CO₂ emissions linked to its activities. The Carbon Neutral Company and the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management (ECCM) were appointed as independent and recognised bodies that assess greenhouse gas emissions.

As an eco-responsible company, Arjowiggins Graphic has calculated its carbon footprint for two principal reasons:

• To help its clients estimate their own carbon footprints; and,
• To draw up a plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions arising from its manufacturing processes.

Under a principle of transparency, the results are published in the company’s environmental report.
Arjowiggins Graphic has implemented a pioneering environmental policy aimed at reducing the impact of its activities and delivering new and sustainable solutions to its customers.

The innovative and responsible environmental strategy is based on five key practical hubs:

1. FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification programme
The company only uses pulp from sustainably-managed forests and aims to ensure all its manufacturing sites and paper ranges are FSC certified. FSC is currently the only standard recognised by major nongovernmental organisations, such as WWF and Greenpeace.

2. Developing value from recycling and increasing the use of recycled fibres
The company collects 370,000 tonnes of recovered paper. This is possible thanks to strong partnerships with associations and local districts, showing the company’s commitment at the local level. (Those are converted into 270,000 tonnes of recycled pulp).

3. ISO 14001 certification
All company mills have ISO 14001 certification (an international standard demonstrating an effective Environmental MAnagement System).

4. CO₂ emissions reduction programme
The company is doing an analysis of the life cycle to measure and then implement processes which reduce its carbon emissions.

5. Reducing the environmental impact of production
Arjowiggins Graphic has continually invested in renewable energies, such as biofuels, reducing the amount of electricity used to produce one tonne of paper by 20% in the last five years and the amount of fossil fuels (including natural gas, steam, fuel and coal) by 12%. At its Dalum site in Denmark, 95% of energy requirements are met today by biomass. This has led to a 90% reduction in carbon emissions.

Fig 1 Recycled paper reduces CO2 - Changing to recycled paper reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The calculation of Arjowiggins Graphic’s carbon footprint shows producing recycled paper is more economical for CO2 emissions than paper based on virgin fibres. Printing 20,000 brochures (40 pages, A4 format) on CyclusPrint 150g/m2 results in a saving of 1,504 kg of CO2. It corresponds to a distance of 10,026 km travelled by a European car of category A (consumption of 150g of CO2 /km)

Innovative to the core

To anticipate and respond to the requirements of users and consumers of paper, Arjowiggins Graphic has placed its innovation department at the heart of its development policy.

The creation of new paper requires 12 to 18 months of work. The department for the development of new products has set itself a target of a maximum three months to achieve the same result. It has developed nine new products over the last 18 months by using the very latest Green technologies and cutting-edge innovation in the development of eco-responsible paper grades such as Cocoon, Cyclus, Maine gloss green, Satimat green and Eural.

The Greenfield site at Chateau-Thierry, in the Paris region, consumes 191KT of recovered paper per year in the production of a high-end, Extra White recycled paper pulp. This whiteness, unique to the market, is obtained with an innovative chlorine-free manufacturing process. The resulting pulp is FSC certified and 100% recycled. It is also certified for contact with food.

In 2009, Arjowiggins Graphic became the first European paper manufacturer to launch Cocoon Silk and Gloss, a 100% recycled, Extra White, FSC certified, coated paper on the market, for graphical applications.

As a result of the attention it has devoted to innovation, Arjowiggins Graphic can offer a range of paper grades that is simultaneously eco-responsible, high-quality and highly technical in terms of whiteness and printability.

Arjowiggins Graphic
W: www.arjowigginsgreen.com