A Field Guide - Eco-Friendly, Efficient and Effective Print - Fourth Edition

Oct 3, 2026

A Field Guide explains how responsible paper sourcing and sustainable print practices support promotion, packaging, and environmental graphics. It frames print decisions around purpose, cost effectiveness, environmental sustainability, and visual effectiveness. The guide reviews paper production and emphasizes resource-efficient manufacturing through sustainable tree fiber, responsible water use, and renewable energy choices. It also clarifies how to evaluate virgin versus recycled fibers, define recycled-content claims, and communicate paper contents such as post-consumer waste and plant-based alternatives.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLifestyle

FormatPDF

Pages40

Reading Time1 h 2 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Paper

Materiality

How to Communicate Paper Contents

Recycled vs Virgin Paper

Plant Fiber Papers

A Field Guide Eco-Friendly, Efﬁcient and Effective Print f o u r t h e d i t i o n Responsible Paper Sourcing By Design 􀁩􀁮􀁴􀁲􀁯􀁤􀁵􀁣􀁴􀁩􀁯􀁮 Responsible sourcing is a critical component of any comprehensive sustainability initiative. The purpose of this guide is to offer information in support of sustainable design and print for promotion, packaging and environmental graphics. For consideration is not just the material but also how it is made and what happens when it reaches the end ofits useful life. Performance. Aesthetics. Economics. Environment. You don’t have to compromise with eco-friendly design. IN THIS FIELD GUIDE Paper Production Inks Printing Finishing Packaging Waste How to Say It Health & Wellbeing Opportunities Business Case Materiality This guide gives marketing, design and sourcing professionals the opportunity to think differently about their choices. The message is four-fold: it must satisfy its purpose, be cost-effective, be environmentally sustainable and be effective in a visually meaningful way. If something is going to be printed, it should be extraordinary, enduring and sustainable. Introduction | 2 Paper The manufacture of paper requires the use of natural resources. How much and how efﬁciently those resources are used depend quite a bit on the processes manufacturers use in resource acquisition and production. By obtaining tree ﬁber from sustainable sources, by using water judiciously and responsibly and by making renewable energy choices, manufacturers and their suppliers can drastically reduce the size of their environmental footprint. Over the last several decades, foresters, environmentalists and paper manufacturers have made great strides to reduce the impact from manufacturing paper and protecting forestland and wildlife habitat, managing natural resources for sustainability, and maintaining air and water quality. Designers can make a difference by choosing manufacturers who subscribe to these best practices. Paper is manufactured with a range of differing ﬁber content. Some can be made with ﬁbers that are completely virgin or virgin with various blends of recycled ﬁbers such as totally recycled or post-consumer recycled. Whether recycled papers or virgin papers are “better” for the environment is a matter of contention and depends upon several factors that include the environmental impacts associated with the collection and processing of paper and harvesting trees. 􀁶􀁩􀁲􀁧􀁩􀁮 􀁰􀁡􀁰􀁥􀁲 | Coming directly from trees, it contains the strongest and purest ﬁber. It obviously has the most immediate impact on the forest. However, that impact can be mitigated if the pulp is harvested from a forest or other source that is sustainably managed. Its ﬁrstgeneration status means that virgin paper has not undergone prior printing, which can make it the most chemical free depending on its bleaching process. When specifying virgin paper, care should be taken to ensure that the pulp comes from a sustainably managed source. Designers should include a note to end users encouraging recycling of printed pieces made with virgin paper, and this can be done by using the recycling Mobius commonly known as the chasing arrow symbol. 􀁲􀁥􀁣􀁹􀁣􀁬􀁥􀁤 􀁰􀁡􀁰􀁥􀁲 | Recycling allows the same ﬁber to be used and reused many times over. The recovery rate of paper in the U.S. in 2015 was 66.8%, 1 which makes paper one of the most recycled materials. Recycled ﬁber content may include pre-consumer waste, post-consumer waste (PCW), totally recycled ﬁber (TRF) or various blends of each. Recycled paper has dramatically improved in quality over the past decade, in most cases performing as well as virgin stock, and has become cost competitive.2 Claims do not have to be qualiﬁed if the entire piece is recyclable. Otherwise, state how much or what speciﬁc components can be recycled. The claim of recycled content can be made only on products manufactured from materials recovered during the manufacturing process (pre-consume

FAQs

What does the field guide focus on when choosing paper for printing?

It focuses on fulfilling the print purpose, staying cost-effective, achieving environmental sustainability, and delivering visually meaningful results.

How can paper manufacturers reduce their environmental footprint?

By sourcing tree fiber from sustainable providers, using water judiciously, choosing renewable energy, and improving processes tied to acquisition and production.

What is the difference between post-consumer waste and pre-consumer recycled content?

Post-consumer waste comes from fiber that has been in circulation in finished form and is recycled by end users, while pre-consumer waste is recycled from waste at a mill, fabricator, or printer during manufacturing.

Oct 3, 2026

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