Paper merchants for commercial printers NOR Paper, a division of Bytes Document Solutions, MD Raymond Blake says that there are several initiatives currently employed in the corporate world to reduce paper wastage.

Mills [could] grow and maintain sustainable forests in compliance with the rules set out by the Forest Stewardship Council, a nonprofit, independent organisation that operates in 46 countries, he says. It sets standards, offers assurances and accredits services that adhere to responsible forestry. "These mills also comply with the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes, an independent, nonprofit global umbrella programme, founded in 1999. It promotes sustainably managed forests through independent third-party certification," he says.

Paper-saving Initiatives
He says that new paper products have emerged including global document management company Xerox's self-erasing ink. The ink is erased [off the paper] between 16 hours and 24 hours after printing and the paper can then be reinserted into the stream. "That is a significant benefit, considering that Xerox researchers estimate that two out of every five pages printed in the office are for daily use and viewed only once," he says.

Duplex printing, or printing on both sides of a piece of paper, is an older technology, but is experiencing widespread adoption. "It may not sound revolutionary, but few office products in the first decade of this century offered the capability. Yet to be effective, it requires office workers to be aware of it, know how to set it up and then make use of it," he says.

Paper recycling bins may be a common sight in modern corporate South Africa, but Blake advises that [paper] buyers should be aware that they have the choice to buy recycled paper and should check that what is delivered, is, in fact, recycled paper, stamped and approved by a recognised authority.

Selective Printing
"Office workers, who are by far the most responsible group for printing the greatest volume globally, need to be selective when printing," he says, adding that they should know how to preview prints, select only appropriate portions of documents and send those for printing. He says that documents and stationery should be printed as they are needed and forms, letterheads or instructions that may go out of date, should not be stockpiled.

"Just-in-time delivery reduces stock levels, which has a number of knock-on effects. For instance, it reduces the need for large warehouses, which reduces costs in the paper supply chain. Streamlined receiving, offloading, stacking, picking, cutting and distribution, reduces costs and improves service delivery," he says.

"Globally, citizens print forty-five-trillion pages every year, and being connected to the Internet, increases office paper use by 40%. In the US, each person uses 350 kg/y of paper. And office workers throw away 45% of documents within 24 hours of printing them," he says.

"The world's population is on the rise. According to the United Nations, the world population was about 1,7-billion by 1900, increasing to about 2,5-billion by 1950, and it has since increased to about eight-billion today. That should be great news for paper suppliers, who need to increase revenues and profits by selling more paper to more people. But the problem is that paper comes from a finite source - forests.

"There were almost 4-billion hectares of trees in the world in 2000, according to the ‘Global Forest Resources Assessment' report of that year. That only equates to less than 30% of the Earth's total land area, itself only 34% of the global surface. Today, deforestation of about 80% of the world's forests has occurred. The upshot, is that [more] people have become aware of the necessity to maintain what remains of the environment and paper, and paper-related companies must play a keen role," he says.

"However companies choose to tackle the problem, investors and shareholders can take a rather dim view if they feel it irresponsibly erodes profits. Which is why paper merchants must ensure they employ the latest business practices, aimed at reducing costs, which will generate savings that can be passed on to customers.

Some savvy paper suppliers have long since been preparing for the increasing focus on the environment, good corporate social behaviour, and greater diversity of products, and had streamlined operations for cost savings and better customer service, [before the economic crunch], he says. "While some [suppliers] may see the sudden combination of these challenges as nothing short of a crisis, others will grasp the opportunity it presents them, to leap ahead for that which they have been preparing," he says. We must all play our part to secure our future and it is heart-warming to know that sustainability and profitability are not mutually exclusive, but can be achieved in balance," he concludes.

NOR Paper supplies an extensive range of papers that include: sundry supplies, board, commercial coated papers, uncoated papers, general-stationery grade paper and carbonless papers, with over 30 different grades in the range.