Re: Summer issue | Page 100

green tick Recycling offers more than just a The 2008 recession had a big impact on the viability of green products. Companies felt that products that came at a higher cost were unsustainable. When redundancies were being made and household brands were closing their doors, rather than thinking about the environment, many companies could only see the immediate bottom line. But what if recycling could offer your business ongoing numerous benefits; including saving you money and helping you improve the long term outlook for your shareholders? Meet Closed Loop Recycling. Closed loop recycling takes a traditional cycle of ‘trees to paper to end-use to waste’ and applies a new approach which recycles and reuses the product and is efficient in the supply chain. Whereby once upon a time we were not recycling at all, habits and trends have changed. Bit by bit we are recycling at home, as consumers and in the work place. It means fewer trees are needed as the raw material, thus helping the environment and by reusing the waste paper, the costs are driven down thereby helping the business. In addition, a great improvement in the process is the introduction of accreditations, legislations such as waste transfer documents and cleansed processes to avoid any waste being 100 wrongly disposed of or falling foul of rogue trader. An efficient supply chain management enhances company credibility under this new regime. Rather than in the old way where waste paper was just trash to a landfill; how about it now being collected in waste paper bins especially allocated for its collection. These are then collected by the vendor that originally sold the paper, perhaps when virgin pulp and recycled in the system at any one time. Traditionally recycled paper has always been more expensive. However, with the introduction of the Closed Loop Recycling programme you can now buy recycled paper at the same price as virgin pulp paper. Sustainability v Price can be achieved by collaboration. With a Closed Loop programme there Recycled paper is every bit as good as virgin pulp paper but we do need to accept the differences. the next office supplies consignment is dropped off, and transported back to the mill for processing and grading. This paper is then sorted and graded to make 100% recycled 80gsm grade A paper. The paper is then sold back to the vendor to be resold to the clients and a great price. Introducing a small percentage of recycled paper is crucial to the mix of are other savings, both tangible and intangible. How about the impact to the vendors and supply chains, which now becomes multi-use. It would mean less frequent visits, so fewer personnel to your site, fewer vans on the road and a reduction in administration time processing invoices. Using recycled paper alone conserves natural resources, saves energy and reduces greenhouse gas. The production process alone saves 83% less water, 72% less energy and 53% less CO2. Some of the common questions asked about recycled paper include: Is it fit for purpose? Does it work as well? And does it look the part? We love pure white paper in the UK but is it just habit; can we make a change or can we change attitudes towards it within our own businesses? We understand a business may wish to continue to use bright, white virgin paper for some printing tasks, in particular customerfacing contracts and quotations for example. That said, a lot of office paper is used for internal documents that go no further than from one desk to another or one printer to the bin. Like any product on the market, there are good and better versions. Try some, test it and we guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Recycled paper is every bit as good as virgin pulp paper but we do need to accept the differences. Anecdotally, I hear that our friends in Europe frown upon an employee printing documents on bright, white paper. It’s not the ‘done thing’. We in the UK are coming from a different place, where virgin white paper currently dominates our market. Projects like this are engaging for your own internal staff, not just for the clients. It’s better to look at the bigger picture and all of the added benefits. Educate and engage your staff and clients so they understand why the decision has been made to use recycled paper. They can in turn explain this and demonstrate an environmental conscience, which can create a shared atmosphere of unity. The more we do, the more the market will and can grow. The more that’s produced and bought, the lower the costs. This should open doors for other s