Herman Miller blog: Lifework » sugar cane paper http://www.hermanmiller.com/lifework Lifework Wed, 22 May 2013 19:43:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 No More Trees? http://www.hermanmiller.com/lifework/no-more-trees/ http://www.hermanmiller.com/lifework/no-more-trees/#comments Mon, 24 May 2010 16:21:01 +0000 Monique Ruffin http://www.hermanmiller.com/lifework/?p=3989
Who would have thought it could be true, but it is, treeless paper has hit the market and it’s a great green addition to the eco-conscious home office. MoMa started using treeless paper and cardboard in their packaging back in 2007 and now we’re seeing it creep into the home. Currently manufacturing treeless paper uses sugar cane, bamboo, elephant dung and hemp. Each of these can be harvested specifically for paper manufacturing. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency the average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper each year. That’s more than 2 pounds each day. Wow!  Currently 4 billion trees are cut down each year to meet the world’s demand for paper.

While treeless paper can certainly make a dent you won’t be walking into your local office supply store to purchase it just yet. However, demand will eventually drive supply. Until that time, shopping online is your best bet. Aaron Schiff of Ecopaper.com says their sugar cane office paper sales are second to the banana paper, which is used for invitations. “For the office, sugar cane paper is almost identical to regular paper and has 80 per cent tree-free content.” Schiff, who sees the paper industry slowly becoming greener, is confident that sugar cane paper will be a popular brand for Ecopaper in the coming years.

As treeless paper is currently emerging on the market, I’d love to hear your questions or experiences with this product.

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