Paper has become a huge part of our lives now. Whether it be for school work or simply reading the newspaper as a morning habit, paper is essential and highly used. That is why a lot of resources are going into producing paper.
Though paper production is necessary and important, so is the threat of environmental hazards. Millions of trees are being cut down all over the world to produce traditional paper, and that is a major cause of concern.
That is why we need to find ways in which we can keep the consistent production of paper while also keeping in mind to restrict environmental depletion. That is why we have found an alternative in the form of recycled paper notebooks.
Now, let’s try to find out more about the various environmental impacts that the production of paper might have and how this recycled paper notebook will help solve them.
The Environmental Impact of Traditional Paper Production
1. Deforestation and Paper Consumption
Planting and growing a tree takes up a lot of time and care. For a tree to grow it needs a proper environment, sunlight, and rain. Whereas, cutting off a tree takes no time or effort.
To accommodate the amount of paper we need to produce for our everyday activities, a lot of trees are usually cut off, which can lead to a severe case of deforestation. And without these precious trees, our planet experiences various climatic changes, often leading up to global warming.
2. Energy and Water Consumption in Paper Manufacturing
To produce paper, we do not only sacrifice trees. Many other resources also go into producing the very paper we use in our everyday activities. One of such major resources is water and energy.
Usually, a lot of techniques are used to produce paper on such a large scale. Plugging, Pulping, bleaching, Pressing, drying, etc. These processes require a lot of water energy or chemicals that can cause severe consequences to the environment.
3. Paper Waste and Landfill Issues
Now, producing the paper doesn’t end the story there. A lot of paper from our day-to-day activities is left unused and later thrown away with no further notice.
These not only waste all those resources and efforts taken into making it but also can cause environmental pollution. They can cause blockage issues and can take up a lot of time to decompose, which isn’t good news for our environment.
What is a Recycled Paper Notebook?
Okay, so we have already talked of the various threats and problems that we face to ensure the production of these traditional papers. Now, let's also talk about the alternative that we have mentioned before.
Recycled paper notebooks do not take up any of our major natural resources like trees. They do not require the fresh wood that was required to produce the traditional paper. Instead, these collect the wasted and used products like industry wastes and used up papers to recycle them into fresh, new paper.
Debunking Myths About Recycled Paper
Maybe it is due to its recycled method, but many believe that recycled paper might not be as good as the traditional one. They often find themselves still buying up the traditional paper made up from the cutting off of so many trees.
They believe that recycled paper might get torn easily or might not last as long. But it is all a myth, as the advanced techniques of our modern world have ensured that these recycled papers also last as long as any other we used before.
How Recycled Paper Notebooks Help Reduce Waste
1. Reducing Paper Waste and Landfill Overflow
Now, not only does recycled paper save our environment and reduce resource wastage, but it also reduces pollution. Paper and waste from industries fill up our landfills, causing hazards to the environment. These papers take them up and use them to produce something new and perfect to use.
2. Lowering Demand for Fresh Pulp
When we focus on using these recycled products, we ultimately say no to deforestation. No virgin wood pulp is required, and no trees are cut up to keep on producing more and more paper. That in and itself is a huge gift to our environment.
3. Saving Water and Energy in Manufacturing
No production of fresh paper ultimately means no requirement for such high usage of water and energy. While the resources are still used while recycling, the process very significantly decreases their usage. Water is no longer required to be used for pulping, nor will energy be required for drying and bleaching.
The Role of Recycled Notebooks in Forest Conservation
1. How Many Trees Can Be Saved?
Many trees are cut off to produce paper. If we talk factually then almost 17 trees are cut off, just to produce a ton of paper. So, using this recycled, eco-friendly method can help us produce more and more notebooks while also saving the trees that would have gone into producing them.
2. Promoting Sustainable Forestry Practices
Many certified recycled products like FSC, and PEFC certifications often help us promote good forest practices. They help us produce papers while also using conservative and sustainable practices.
Additional Environmental Benefits of Using Recycled Notebooks
1. Lowering Carbon Footprint
Trees take up a lot of carbon dioxide from our environment. They absorb them which results in healthy climate conditions. In cases where we cut off these trees in such a mass amount, we are ultimately risking those CO2 gases to be released back into the environment.
This can cause climate changes, and take away the coolness the trees ultimately provide. The increase of these gases in our environment can lead to some severe global warming which is highly dangerous for our health and living.
2. Reducing Chemical Pollution
Producing fresh virgin paper usually requires various chemicals being used in the making process. Just like water and energy, they were used on a large scale. And chemicals when released into the environment can cause serious damage to them.
That is why this method of recycling paper presents such a large amount of water being released into water bodies and the environment. And help produce paper in a healthier and safer way.
3. Encouraging a Circular Economy
Recycled paper doesn’t just protect our environment but also helps us keep a circular economy. All those papers we used go back to create new papers.
This helps the careful use of those papers, and overall improves the economic circle.
How to Choose the Right Recycled Paper Notebook:
While recycled papers are preferred over traditional papers, we also want to ensure that the paper we are using is of good quality. That is why we need to carefully look for some key features that might help us determine which paper is original and which is not.
a. Look for certifications like FCS, PCW, and chlorine-free labels.
b. Look for proper paper thickness. Ensure that the paper you are taking is the right thickness.
c. Make sure that your paper is going to be durable enough. Some do not last long as they are not properly and originally made. So, look out for that.
d. Ensure they can be properly used and won’t cause any breakage or defect later on.
e. We can also go for some more eco-friendly brands like Packmate. They ensure that the paper we buy from them is of high quality and usability.
f. We can also personally recycle the used-up paper by using them again as scrap books or DIY products.
Conclusion:
Paper, while highly necessary, often causes various dangerous environmental effects like deforestation and global warming. That is why we need to protect our planet, by switching over to more eco-friendly methods like recycled paper.
These eco-friendly notebooks ensure that the paper we are using is safely made and isn’t going to cause climate change or extreme waste of energy or water. They also help us by reducing pollution.
At Packmate, we provide a super eco-friendly notebook which ensures that we get an environment-friendly and high-quality paper, which is the best for our future & Mother Nature.
