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Environmental speak can be complex and confusing. If youre unsure of some of the trendy terms and phrases that are being used by companies and what they really meanyoure not alone! Paper-Pak is a company deeply and passionately committed to protecting our planet, but we dont want to baffle you with jargon that doesnt make sense. The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of Paper-Paks environmental standingthe things we do that really make a differencein simple, easy to understand language; and to dispel some of the common misconceptions about paper.
Carbon Footprint Analysis: Paper-Pak recently appointed Carbon Planet Australia as its strategic advisory partner on climate change issues. Carbon Planet provides expert advice and training on the impact, obligations and opportunities resulting from the emergence of the Carbon Economy. Carbon Planet recently conducted an exhaustive company carbon analysis to assess our greenhouse gas emissions - otherwise known as our carbon footprint. Whilst officially classified as a low emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, we are passionately committed to carbon minimisation and have implemented a comprehensive action plan to measure and reduce our emissions in the near future. An internal carbon accounting project has commenced for our overseas operations and once complete will be independently audited by Carbon Planet. Supplier Environmental Performance: Paper-Pak consciously aligns ourselves with suppliers who demonstrate the same stringent environmental and ethical standards that we do. Furthermore, we regularly audit our suppliers environmental performance to ensure they comply with the highest of standards at all times.
Sustainability Explained.
A DEFINITION.
A resource or system that meets present needs without compromising or depleting future resources.
In short.it means that companies like ours need to consider our environmental and social performance along with traditional economic measures like profit. The Social aspect refers to employees, stakeholders and the communities and regions in which a corporation operates. Being a family owned and operated business, Paper-Pak recognises the importance of its people and the organisation goes to great lengths to ensure that all employees have a safe and fair work environment. The Detmold Group (of which Paper-Pak is a member) is also active in a number of charities which benefit the wider community. The Environmental aspect is very topical across the globe, with much of this discussion focusing on greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. There is lots of scientific debate and political discussion, but at the heart of it all we recognise that globally the human race cannot continue to burn fossil fuels and reduce native forests at the rate which has occurred in the past 150 years. Paper-Pak is improving its environmental performance in a number of ways. We continue to comply with all relevant legal requirements and we are working with a number of external groups, such as the National Packaging Covenant in Australia, to continually reduce our waste and energy requirements, as well as introducing strict responsible sourcing practices to formally manage the ethical sourcing policies that we have followed for many years. We have many environmental projects underway including trials of new renewable materials, partnering with specialists such as Carbon Planet to reduce our environmental footprint, auditing and certification of suppliers and materials, energy reduction programs and programs to increase recycling both in our plants and for our packaging products in the community. There is a shift in business attitudes around the world which is already very clear in the UK, Europe and parts of the US where carbon trading and triple bottom line reporting (environment, social, economic) are forcing companies to change their focus. For companies like ours to be successful in the future they will have to lead their industries in the way they treat people and the planet as well as managing sales and costs. Paper-Pak and the Detmold Group are already very active in this area and will continue to be so in the future.
Furthermore, the Detmold Group is active in a number of charities as part of its social responsibility activities. In 2008 these included Sichuan Earthquake China, Red Cross, Ronald McDonald House, Jane McGrath Foundation, Womens & Childrens Hospital, Asthma Foundation, Flinders Medical Centre, Mission Australia, The Cancer Council, Breast Cancer Foundation, Migrant Support Foundation, Charity Connections, Uniting Care Wesley, Salvation Army, Blind Sporting Council and Royal Flying Doctors.
Paper-Pak products are however 100% recyclable through conventional kerbside recycling facilities. For rope handle carry bags, remember to remove the handles before recycling. Furthermore, recycled paper is quite a loose term. There is no definitive requirement for a certain percentage of recycled fibre to be present before a paper can be classified as recycled, although there are numerous guidelines and recommendations. There are as many strong arguments for recycling (as opposed to using recycled paper) such as extending the life of the fibre, maximizing the use of valuable resources and saving energy and carbon emissions.
AUSTRALIAN PAPER
Australian Paper (a major supplier of paper to the Detmold Group and Paper-Pak) has FSC CoC certification for all of the brown kraft packaging grades supplied to Paper-Pak; and PEFC CoC for the bleached grades. Australian Papers mills have reduced their consumption of fossil fuels by more than 60% per tonne of paper produced over the past 25 years. Over 65% of energy used at Australian Paper's operations is from renewable sources. 64.3% of Maryvale Mill's power supplies are produced on-site from waste materials including wood waste and other bio-material.
Note: All compostable plastics are biodegradable, however, not all biodegradable plastics are compostable (see diagram below):
SIMPLY SPEAKING
Degradable:
Biodegradable:
Compostable:
Australian Standard
Able to be broken down into natural elements such as water and carbon dioxide in no given time frame using triggers such as heat, UV light and micro-organisms.
Able to be broken down into natural elements within 90 days in commercial composting conditions.
For a product to be certified as compostable, it must meet with the requirements of AS 4736 for Commercial Compost by passing specified tests.
CLASSIFICATIN STANDARDS
Whilst an Australian Standard has been set for compostable plastic (AS 4736), there are no definitive laws and regulations governing the labelling of biodegradable bags. Until such standards have been set, false claims and inconsistencies can result in misleading statements and customer dissatisfaction.
Relatively Speaking
The relative capacity of a paper carry bag to a comparable sized plastic bag:
The above calculation demonstrates that our paper carry bag is 33% larger in capacity to the comparable sized plastic carry bag.
Compostable
A characteristic of a product, packaging or associated component that allows it to biodegrade, generating a relatively homogeneous and stable humus-like substance. A substance that can be broken down into simpler substances by the activity of living organisms.
Degradable
Environmental A systematic approach to address environmental issues within a business. An EMS covers all facets of the operations Management and all employees. It allocates resources and assigns responsibilities and provides for the continual evaluation of System practices, procedures and processes. EPI EPI (Environmental Product Incorporated a US company name) is a brand of totally degradable additive for plastic bags. When added, EPI is around 3% of the material composition. Plastic bags with this additive start to break down in approx 18 months dependant on the environment in which they are stored. Factors such as heat and moisture accelerate the decomposition of this product. Other degradable additives are readily available on the market also.
Extended Line A product designed to provide prolonged use based on either improved durability or an up-gradable feature that Product results in reduced resource use and waste. FSC Forestry Stewardship Council. An independent, non-governmental, not for profit organisation established to promote the responsible management of the worlds forests. Products carrying the FSC label are independently certified to assure consumers that they come from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations. The International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) developed ISO 14001 as a global environmental management system that can be used by an organisation to achieve environmental performance goals. The ISO 14001 environmental management system incorporates a "Plan, Do, Check, Act" model based on an environmental policy that guides planning, implementation and operation, checking and corrective action, and management review processes. Landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment. Historically, landfills have been the most common methods of organized waste disposal and remain so in many places around the world.
ISO 14001
Landfill
Mobious Loop The recycling symbol or mobious loop consists of three twisted chasing arrows in a triangle. The loop is not owned by anyone, however there are strict guidelines as to its use. Old Growth Forests PEFC A forest that is ecologically mature and has been subjected to negligible disturbance such as logging, road building and clearing. Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. PEFC is the world's largest forest certification organisation. The PEFC Council is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1999 which promotes sustainable managed forests through independent third party certification.
Recyclable
Renewable Reusable
Vegetable Inks Vegetable based ink is made with vegetable oil, such as soybean or linseed oil and is used as a substitute for petroleum. These inks significantly reduce the amount of ozone depleting Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's) released into the air during printing. There are a number of advantages of using soya inks including: lower solvent emissions than petroleum oil, less toxic waste, soya is a renewable resource, is biodegradable and enhances printability characteristics. Virgin Pulp Pulp that has not been recycled or used in the manufacturing process before. Wood-free is commonly used jargon in the paper industry for papers made from chemical pulp (as opposed to mechanical pulp). Chemical pulping uses chemicals to break down and remove the lignin that holds the plant fibres together, preserving the fibre length and strength, but producing a lower yield from the wood. Mechanical pulping basically grinds the wood to pulp. This pulp retains the lignin. Lignin is the substance in plant tissues that holds the fibers together, but over time it also makes paper yellow and it becomes brittle.
Wood Free