Papermaking
Paper manufacturing includes the processing of wood, recovered paper and paperboard, and other cellulose fibers into thousands of end-use products. It is comprised of pulp mills, dedicated paper production facilities, and integrated mills that include both pulp processing and paper manufacture.
Although it may not be obvious to some, papermaking is a very technical process that requires energy, water, wood fiber and other materials to make a finished product. Within this production stage there are many opportunities for manufacturers to address environmental performance issues, including climate change, efficient use of recovered fiber, utilizing self-generated energy and more.
As a consumer, it is very important to have a reasonable understanding of what manufacturers are doing to increase their environmental performance at this critical stage of the paper life cycle. The production stage illustrates very clearly that informed environmental decisions consider multiple attributes rather than single attributes.
