ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE
Lewis Paper is committed to Environmental Leadership. We believe in meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations. Lewis Paper does business with suppliers which adhere to responsible forest practices and are certified by independent third party organizations. Our eco-friendly portfolio provides quality choices for all environmental printing requirements. We are committed to implementing and maintaining our chain of custody control systems.

To read more about Lewis Paper's environmentally friendly papers, please visit our Environmental Papers page.

LEWIS PAPER IS AWARDED FSC CERTIFICATION
Lewis Paper proudly announces Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC®) chain of custody certification (certification number SGSNA-COC-005744).

The Forest Stewardship Council™ is an independent non-profit organization devoted to responsible forest management worldwide. Their certification system is broadly supported by leading environmental groups such as Green Peace and the World Wildlife Fund. In order to bring our customers FSC® certified products we must have the certification to complete the entire supply chain, or chain of custody, from manufacturing to distribution.

FSC® 50% Mixed Change
All FSC® 50% mixed credit items sold by Lewis Paper are registered by the vendors as of April 1, 2011 as "FSC® Mixed 50% Registered"

LEWIS PAPER IS AWARDED SFI® CERTIFICATION
As another step towards our commitment to responsible environmental practices, Lewis Paper was awarded SFI® (Sustainable Forestry Initiative®) chain of custody certification (number SGS-SFI/COC-US09/5545).

As a certified organization, Lewis Paper can claim the content of the products we sell come from certified forests and are sourced through a rigorous fiber sourcing program. This helps consumers identify and give preference to products that are manufactured from well-managed forests.

ENVIRONMENTAL TERMINOLOGY
What is recycled paper?
What is pre-consumer waste?
What is deinked pre-consumer waste?
What is post-consumer waste?
How is recycled paper made?
What is deinking?
What does processed chlorine free mean?
What is elemental chlorine free?
What is totally chlorine free?
What is virgin fiber?
What is agricultural byproduct?
What is non-wood or tree-free fiber?
What is the Forest Stewardship Council™?
What is Chain-Of-Custody?
What is SFI® - Sustainable Forestry Initiative®?
What is Biogas?
How are Environmental Products Identified?


Recycled paper can have several meanings, but the most consistent definition is derived from our federal government's guidelines. Almost all state and local government and business procurement specifications now reference the Environmental Protection Agency's guidelines on recycled paper. The EPA guidelines require a minimum of 30% post-consumer content for uncoated printing and writing paper, and a minimum of 10% post-consumer content for coated papers. Other forms of paper, such as newsprint, corrugated packaging, tissue, and others, also require post-consumer content. The EPA doesn't consider mill broke, the unprinted trimming and converting scrap from paper mills themselves, recycled content.  The manufacturing of recycled paper offers numerous environmental benefits including the use of materials that otherwise would be shipped to landfill sites where they would produce significant amount so greenhouse gases.  The recovery rate of recyclable material in the United States is 52%, which means 48% is still being sent to landfills.

Pre-consumer materials are those that have not met their intended end-use by a consumer and include allowable waste left over from manufacturing, converting, and printing processes. Examples: mill-converting scraps, pre-consumer deinking material, pulp substitutes. Magazines and newspapers that were never bought also are termed pre-consumer.

This paper has been printed but not used by consumers, such as waste from printers and unsold magazines and publications. It is processed like post-consumer waste and is deinked for reuse.

This is paper that has already been used and returned through a recycling program, thereby diverting it from a landfill or incinerator. It is usually deinked and then processed to make new paper. Office paper waste makes up the majority of post-consumer waste content that is used to make recycled copy and printing papers.

Recycled paper, either pre or post-consumer materials needs to be washed and is often deinked prior to being pulped. The pulp goes through a bleaching process to make it whiter. Once the pulp is bleached, it enters a series of phases including the following: the paper forming section; the press section where water is removed by pressing the wet paper between rolls and felts; and the drying section where the moisture content is reduced to the desired level; and the calendering section where the paper is compacted and smoothed progressively as it travels down a stack of steel rolls. Once completed the paper is stored in either rolls or cut into sheets.

The deinking process removes applied inks, finishes, glues, and other contaminants from wastepaper in order to extract the cellulose fiber. Typically this requires extensive processing through a variety of pulping, screening, cleaning, washing, and/or floatation equipment.

Processed chlorine free refers to recycled paper in which the recycled content is unbleached or bleached without chlorine or chlorine derivatives. Dioxins and other toxins and pollutants created by chlorine and its derivatives are often referred to as chlorinated organic compounds. The dioxins have been associated with adverse affects on the immune and reproductive systems of humans as well as those of fish and wildlife species.

Elemental chlorine fee applies to paper processed without elemental chlorine but with a chlorine derivative such as chlorine dioxide. Although less harmful than using chlorine, it is still considerably worse than totally chlorine free..

Totally chlorine free applies to virgin fiber papers that are unbleached or processed with a sequence that includes no chlorine or chlorine derivatives.

Virgin fiber is fiber that has never been used before in the manufacture of paper or other products.

Agricultural byproducts are fibrous byproducts of agriculture, such as cereal straws and corn stalks, which have previously been treated as a waste stream. These materials are routinely burned or flooded from fields, wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds of a valuable resource and damaging the environment. Using agricultural byproducts means turning a waste stream into a resource.

Non-wood or tree-free fiber refers to fiber that comes from sources other than trees, such as agricultural byproducts, kenaf, and hemp. These fiber sources are commonly used in other parts of the world, and can be cultivated here to help reduce pressure on forest

An international non-profit organization devoted to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests.  FSC® sets high standards that ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally viable way. 

Chain-Of-Custody (COC) is the path taken by raw materials harvested from a certified source through processing, manufacturing, distribution, and printing until it is a final product ready for sale to the end consumer.

SFI® Inc. is a fully independent, charitable organization dedicated to promoting sustained forest management.  They work with conservation groups, local communities, resource professionals, landowners, and countless other organizations and individuals who share the passion for responsible forest management. Their forest certification standard is based on principles that promote sustainable forest management, including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk, and forests with exceptional conservation value.  The standard is used widely across North America, and has strong acceptance in the global marketplace.

Biogas is another renewable source of energy. It is produced by the decomposition of waste in a landfill site. Once collected, it can generate steam used in the manufacturing of paper, which will also reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

All the environmentally responsible certified products that we carry have labels or logos that mark the evidence of their environmental characteristics and are denoted in our catalog with one or more of the certifying organizations logo listed below. By purchasing products with environmental labels you are supporting the growth of responsible forest management worldwide.