Paper Saving and Efficiency | Environmental Paper Network

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Paper saving is a high priority of the Environmental Paper Network. Reducing wasteful paper consumption and ensuring fair use is the first goal of our Global Paper Vision, and the best way đồ sộ reduce the negative environmental and social impacts that paper can cause.

Many of our thành viên organisations are campaigning against wasteful paper use, from unwanted catalogues đồ sộ receipts đồ sộ packaging. One common focus is the icon of the throwaway society – paper cups. We recently launched our ‘Cupifesto’ – a manifesto for a world without throwaway cups – on an international day of action involving our members in nước Australia, Đài Loan Trung Quốc, Germany, Finland, France, UK and the USA. Read more….

Between 2007 and 2013 we ran a project in the UK called ‘Shrink Paper’, which focused on some of the biggest paper consumers in society, including magazine publishers, catalogue retailers, supermarkets, banks and finance companies, universities and government departments. The project challenged them đồ sộ mix targets đồ sộ cut their paper use by half, and we produced a scorecard of how they performed. We also held seminars and webinars đồ sộ promote paper efficiency.

Why bởi we need đồ sộ save paper?

Since the 1960s, world consumption of paper has quadrupled and use of printing paper has increased six-fold. Just 10% of the world’s population (western Europe and north America) consumes more kêu ca 50% of the world’s paper. Europeans and Americans use 6 times as much paper as the world average. (Read more shocking paper facts here…)

Our paper consumption is the major driver of the forestry industry: almost half of the trees cut commercially around the world over up in paper products. Yet much of this paper use is wasteful and unnecessary and some of it is linked đồ sộ human rights abuses, forest destruction, pollution and climate change emissions.

Paper use has increased most in the computer age despite technological advances lượt thích electronic communication, which should offer good alternatives. A staggering 45% of office-printouts over up in the bin by the over of the day they are printed: this isn’t just a waste of trees, it’s a huge waste of money.

It’s also unfair. The average European or American uses more paper in a day kêu ca people in poor countries get access đồ sộ each year. If we want the many benefits of paper – books and education, information sharing and democracy, sanitation and safe food – đồ sộ be available đồ sộ everyone in the world without increasing production đồ sộ unsustainable levels, it is up đồ sộ people in wealthy societies đồ sộ reduce wasteful paper use.

We bởi not advocate the use of alternative materials đồ sộ paper, unless they are proven đồ sộ have a smaller ecological footprint, and we encourage all paper users đồ sộ work towards all the goals in our vision.

What you can do
Saving paper has sánh many benefits: you save money, you feel good and you tread more lightly on the earth. We encourage you đồ sộ tư vấn the paper saving campaigns by our thành viên organisations. Read more about these here.

Here on our trang web we draw together information, case studies, advice and inspiration đồ sộ make it easier for people in all walks of society đồ sộ cut wasteful paper use. Find links đồ sộ additional tools and resources for reducing paper consumption in the sidebar of this page.