WHy Paper?
Hart Industries is proud to have over half a century’s worth of technical knowledge and expertise in designing and manufacturing paper-based packaging, and we believe this core competency allows us to leverage flexible packaging to promote the sustainability and value that is inherent in circular, renewable materials like paper.
We believe paper has the potential to become one of the most sustainable flexible packaging substrates because:
1) paper is made with renewable, bio-based feedstock
2) third party-certified sustainable sourcing practices contribute to sustainable forest management
3) A circular economy has already been developed for pulp and paper markets
1) PAPER IS A RENEWABLE RAW MATERIAL THAT’S MADE USING MOSTLY RENEWABLY-SOURCED, LOW-CARBON FUEL
Paper is made from trees, which is considered plant biomass. Trees pull CO2 out of the atmosphere and transfer the CO2 to their cells when they grow via a process called photosynthesis, which is part of the “fast carbon cycle”. 1 After the tree has been harvested, utilized, and disposed of (or otherwise decomposes) — the carbon in the plant biomass (tree) is released back into the atmosphere as CO2. 2
While making paper is a relatively energy-intensive process, over 50% of the energy required for production is sourced primarily from renewable low-carbon biomass fuel produced from dead trees and forest brush and residues. 3
Using carbon from the “fast carbon cycle” for raw material and fuel can help contribute to balancing atmospheric concentrations of CO2 because the CO2 used was initially captured from the atmosphere within the past 10-40 years, instead of from a fossil deposit formed millions of years ago. So while it does emit CO2 back into the atmosphere, it does so only after it has first captured CO2 from the atmosphere and stored that CO2 for the lifecycle of the plant. 4
For conventional plastics, however, the CO2 used for raw material and production fuel comes from fossil fuels (part of the “slow carbon cycle”) that are buried below the earth’s surface and haven’t been exposed to the atmosphere for tens of millions of years. 1
So while it may take 10-40 years for our environment to naturally rebalance the CO2 released from paper production — the environment needs hundreds of thousands to millions of years to rebalance the CO2 released from fossil fuel-based plastic material extraction and production. 1, 4
2) SUSTAINABLY-SOURCED PAPER CONTRIBUTES TO THE MAINTENANCE OF HEALTHY FORESTS THROUGH SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT
According to FAO, Sustainable forest management is “the sustainable use and conservation of forests with the aim of maintaining and enhancing multiple forest values through human interventions.” 5
As of 2019, approximately half of all global forests certified by internationally recognized 3rd-party sustainable forestry organizations are located in North America. 6
The paper industry is able to help prevent material extracted by illegal logging to enter the supply chain via these 3rd party organizations by complying with documentation for fiber sources, requiring supplier procurement agreements, and using third-party certification of chain-of-custody systems. 3
THE PAPER INDUSTRY HAS ALREADY DEVELOPED AN EFFICIENT, PRODUCTIVE CIRCULAR ECONOMY THAT HELPS MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
In 2018, paper and paperboard products were the most efficiently recycled material at 68.2% of total paper-based Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generated and made up over 65% of total recycled MSW materials. 7
Paper can be recycled approximately 5 - 7 times before the fibers are too short to be used. 8 Additionally, as a “last life”, recycled paper can be used in construction materials, potentially store the remaining carbon for multiple decades.
This level of efficiency helps extend the fiber supply and store the carbon sequestered during the extraction stage, thus enabling:
Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that can contribute to climate change by avoiding methane emissions and reducing the energy required for a number of paper products.
Savings in considerable landfill space.
Reductions in energy and water consumption.
Decreased need for disposal (i.e., landfill or incineration which decreases the amount of CO2 produced). 8
More specifically, according to the EPA, the recyclability of paper-based products in 2018 led to a reduction of 155 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents compared to if virgin material was used. The EPA suggests this equates to taking over 33 million cars off the road. 7
Hart Industries uses sustainably sourced paper as the primary component of our packaging structures — enabling brands, manufacturers, and consumers to leverage the power of paper to reduce plastic waste and potentially contribute to a more sustainable, circular future.
