4 February 2022
Praktijkverhalen
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PaperWise from Weert has been fully focused on the circular economy since it was founded in 2015. Thus was born the idea of developing a new generation of copy paper with the lowest environmental impact. And this copy paper came to be. PaperWise introduces unbleached CO2 neutral copy and print paper made from plant residues; stems and leaves left over from agriculture. This makes PaperWise copy paper 100% tree-free.
LIOF has embraced circularity as one of four transitions for Limburg. Together with entrepreneurs in Limburg, we are thus working on a smarter, more sustainable and healthier Limburg. LIOF came into contact with Peter van Rosmalen of PaperWise during his participation in the Business Innovation Program Food. In this program, innovative startups work on a business case that contributes to the transition to a sustainable food system'. This is how the relationship with PaperWise started and the action was born 'LIOFACTIONPAPERWISE'. With this action, PaperWise and LIOF want to stimulate more companies to take steps in the field of circular entrepreneurship.
Circular printing and copying paper
Circular printing and copying paper
Why are plant residues (stems and leaves) left over after agricultural crops are harvested burned and not reused as a raw material for copy and print paper? What can we improve about existing copy and print paper? Questions PaperWise asked itself which led to using agricultural waste as a raw material for paper and cardboard. Moreover, agricultural residues create additional income for poor farmers. This increases their prosperity, food security increases, medical care and education become affordable. Financial inequality decreases and it lays a foundation for safe and sustainable communities.
Why print paper made from plant residues from agriculture?
"It's just copy paper," you might think. Peter van Rosmalen: "That is true. Precisely because it is such a normal, frequently used product, you often don't think about the impact you can make by choosing an environmentally friendly variant. Printed paper is mainly used to read information quickly and comfortably and, if required, to make notes. Everyone uses it, at home and / or at work, and that is precisely why copying and printing paper has such an impact on the environment. Most copy paper is made from trees with growth times between 15 and 80 years. Many years are therefore required for trees to grow before they are cut down, while the useful life of printing paper is relatively extremely short. At PaperWise, we are demonstrating that this can be done differently. PaperWise Natural Copy & Printing A4 72 gram paper, made entirely from agricultural waste, offers the solution for people and businesses looking for the most environmentally friendly and sustainable copy and print paper."
"Precisely because it is such a normal, widely used product, you often don't realize the impact you can make by choosing an environmentally friendly version."
The environmental impact of copying and printing paper
Peter continues: "In Europe we use 75 million tons of paper and cardboard every year. 55% of this is recycled and the remaining 45% is made from trees (Source: CEPI). Don't be alarmed, but for this we cut down 265 million trees every year! The forestry area needed for this needs an area larger than the United Kingdom or 6 times the area of the Netherlands. The global consumption of paper and cardboard is four times as much (Source: CEPI). Add to this the fact that the world population is still growing and with it the consumption of paper, then everyone understands that land use for forestry is a major threat to the paper sector and is not future-proof."
"In Europe, we use 75 million tons of paper and cardboard every year. 55% of this is recycled and the remaining 45% is made from trees (Source: CEPI). Don't be alarmed, but for that we cut down 265 million trees on an annual basis!"
Beautiful paper
Beautiful paper
The unbleached PaperWise Natural paper has a light brown color, giving it a durable appearance. Texts are very pleasant and calm to read. The PaperWise Natural 72 gram copy paper feels just as sturdy as bleached 80 gram white paper from trees, but is 10% lighter, another advantage to unbleached paper. The packaging of the PaperWise Natural copy paper is made of the same material, which allows PaperWise to fully implement sustainability.
