Does paper manufacturing have to be as damaging to the environment as it currently is?

The industry could do more to reduce its damaging impacts by sourcing its wood fiber from sustainably managed forests, increasing its use of post-consumer recycled paper, improving the efficiency of its use of energy and water, and completely eliminating chlorine bleaching. In fact, a number of paper manufacturers in the U.S. are working to do just this.

One example is provided by Mohawk Paper, a company which offers high quality printing and writing papers that have as much as 100% post-consumer recycled fiber, are processed chlorine free, and are preferentially sourced from FSC-certified forests, when virgin fiber is used. Additionally, savings from energy efficiency measures have allowed Mohawk to purchase wind power and finance renewable energy projects in the U.S. Finally, as a member of the US EPA Climate Leaders Program, Mohawk has inventoried its greenhouse gas emissions and is using that information to become a carbon neutral company, meaning that any CO2 emissions from its operations will be offset through the support of renewable energy and emissions reduction programs. For its achievements, Mohawk received the "Green Partner of the Year" award in 2007 from the EPA.