Great Lakes Green Pages

After returning from the building site the other day, I was pleased to see that samples of a new product had arrived.  After writing about the Pooh Paper, I got an email on LinkedIn from a sales rep at Natural Source Printing.  He wanted to tell me about his line of papers that were made from stone.  I had never heard of such a thing.  I really didn’t think that it was possible, but he sent me samples.  It was a selection of papers that were completely tree-free.

The paper is called FiberStone.

It is made form 80% Calcium Carbonate. This mineral is culled as a waste material from existing quarries. The other 20% is High Density Polyethelene, which is non-toxic. Unfortunately this is a petroleum product, but it can be recycled as a #2 plastic. According to the sheet I was sent, the paper is easily recycled, although I must say the literature is a little cryptic about how. The paper is naturally white, so requires no bleaching. It uses no trees, so forests are safe. Production causes no air pollution. It has no waste, and requires no water. Why are these things so important? Let’s break them down.

According to the sales literature: One ton of paper requires:
20 trees, has no real waste, uses 16,000 gallons of clean water, bleach and 36,000 BTU s of energy-when made of virgin materials
4 trees, 2 tons of waste, 9,000 gallons of water, bleach, and 22,000 BTU s of energy when made of recycled materials
but Fiberstone uses no trees, has no waste, uses no water, no bleach and only 18,000 BTU s of energy.
Using less trees and having no waste are no brainers. In a world where potable drinking water is often a luxury, using water to create paper seems almost as big a crime as drinking water in the toilet. And saving energy-even better.

The paper itself is a creative product. It has an interesting texture that is somewhat slick and shiny. It claims to be waterproof. Of course, I put that to the test. I ran water over one sheet and the water rolled right off. I stuck a sticker underwater for a few minutes, and while it puckered a little, it didn’t bleed or run. The puckering may have even come from the backing more than the paper. It claims to be good for outdoor applications as well, and I am curious how that would really work out. It is a slightly think paper, and the plastic in it makes it durable. I had a tough time tearing it, even after trying to wet it. It is surprisingly strong. It has many applications including labels. boxes, photo paper, and pouches-as well as regular paper.

I like this company’s ideals. It is a carbon neutral company. In addition to paper made of rock, it prints on paper made of recycled fruit and coffee fiber. They can use soy based ink. But best of all they clearly state that not every print job can be 100% green, but they will work with you to make the job as green as possible. Honesty is a big deal, and they seem to lay it on the line. I will certainly be giving them a shot at MY next print project. I am looking forward to having business cards printed on a rock!