Ten reasons why everyone should believe in the sustainability of print and paper

Two Sides North America is an independent, non-profit organization created to promote the responsible production, use and sustainability of print and paper. Two Sides is also active in Europe, Australia, South Africa, Brazil and Colombia. Its members span the entire print and paper value chain – including forestry, pulp, paper, inks and chemicals, pre-press, press, finishing, publishing, printing, envelopes and postal operators. One of its missions is to to stop organizations from using anti-print and anti-paper messages in their marketing. Claims like, ‘go paperless, go green’ and ‘go paperless, save trees’, are commonplace as major firms promote electronic services and products to reduce costs. However, such claims are not backed up by any analysis whatsoever, said Two Sides. “They ignore the unique, sustainable features of print and paper, and they don’t consider the fact that all communication channels have an environmental impact,” the organization added.
Here is a live-link review of the top 10 most popular Two Sides’ items of 2016. If you haven’t seen these yet, now’s your chance! And while you’re at it, why not share their important messages with your friends and colleagues?

1. Our latest infographic “How Paper is Made” and others
2. Going Paperless Does Not Save Trees – Our Press Release and White Paper
3. Busting More Myths About Print and Paper (Video)
4. Verizon Green Claims Are Misleading and Unsubstantiated (Blog)
5. Verizon removes anti-paper e-billing green claims from its website (Blog)
6. 65 North American Companies remove “go green – go paperless” claims (Press Release)
7. Tired of seeing “do not print” email footers? Here’s the solution (Blog and Fact Sheet)
8. Paper and Sustainable Forestry (Video)
9. Why going paperless is NOT the way to save North American Forests (Blog)
10. Give your brain a workout by handwriting (Blog)

Two Sides’ most visited website sections in 2016 were:

• The trademark Two Sides Myths and Facts – use it to bust some myths!

• Two Sides’ Fact Sheets covering 12 sustainability hot topics – including the favourite Much of the energy used for papermaking is renewable and the carbon footprint is surprisingly low.

• The organization’s News page with key news items related to sustainability, print and paper.

Editor’s Note: Two Sides’ Infographic (item No. 1 “How Paper is Made”) should be on the wall of every office in Canada. This organization does remarkable work – and ultimately, we all benefit.