We’ve been told to “think before we print” to save trees. But some are arguing that reducing paper consumption is more harmful — both to the pulp and paper industry and to the environment. Reading an article on your computer emits more of the greenhouse gas CO2 than printing the article out. And what about electronic devices? Soon they will be obsolete and will need to be disposed of. Paper, on the other hand, is fully recyclable. The article iPrint or iPAD by Leon Minnie offers some interesting insights as to how valuable sustainable-managed forests actually are.

Okay, so what about synthetic paper? According to a recent press release from plastemart.com, “synthetic paper is an eco-friendly substitute to conventional paper as it does not involve deforestation making it a preferred option in current regulatory scenario. In contrast to conventional paper, synthetic paper manufacturing does not involve the emission of toxic gases including carbon dioxide making it an environmentally sustainable product.”

From my perspective, synthetic paper should not be compared with deforestation, but rather to sustainably managed forests. The author of the iPrint or iPAD article is a product manager for a South African company. According to him, over 80% of South African tree plantations are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. So synthetic paper might be preferable to paper made from clear-cutting old-growth forests, but is it more preferable than paper made from sustainably managed forests?

What do you think?

Posted in Blog