Paper for the planet

The damage we are causing to the planet and the urgent need for mitigating action is in the news virtually every day. Within the workplace, finding ways of embedding ever-greater sustainability measures across practices and products is therefore high on the agenda but it’s not always easy. One product, however, that needn’t be a challenge is paper.

Renewable and sustainable

Paper is produced from wood, in itself a natural and renewable resource. When it originates from forests that are certified as responsibly managed, it is not only sustainable but also leaves behind an important environmental asset.

Forests soak up carbon from the atmosphere and store it above and below ground, making them vital to helping combat climate change. In Europe alone, forests store nearly 80 billion tonnes of carbon. Within certified forests, for every tree that is harvested, three or four new trees are planted or naturally regenerated in their place, which continually increases their size. European forests, for example, get larger every year by an area equivalent to over 1.5 million football pitches, and during the ten years from 2005 to 2015, they increased by an area the size of Switzerland.

The mark of sustainability

The main certifying bodies for forests are PEFC – Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification – and FSC – the Forest Stewardship Council. These independent, internationally recognised organisations provide assurance of environmentally, ethically and socially responsible and sustainable forest management. Paper carrying PEFC, FSC and other certification body marks verifies that the wood fibre used in production is from a sustainable source, and that the entire chain of custody – from forest to customer – has been audited and tracked to ensure that it meets strict standards.

Keeping you green

At Scott Law, we have been supplying sustainable paper and paper products for close to two decades. Today, this amounts to 95% of what we offer.

All of our own brand paper products and the vast majority of other brands that we carry are certified by PEFC, FSC and Blue Angel – Germany’s eco label. Most originate from European forests and the remainder are from equally sustainable and traceable accredited sources.