Paper making might sound like a total bore to many but it is in itself a true blue craftsmanship that requires just as much skill as the intricate art of filigree. Yet sad to have to say, lately it has been losing out its charm to time. From the ancient days of the brilliant Egyptians where hand-made methods dominated, to the19th century where paper production was industrialised; paper making has slowly if not surely become a fully machine automated process.
And it really is really quite appalling for various reasons; namely how on one hand we lose one of the most magnificent arts of mankind (think the Japanese Washi) and on another we risk the health of the environment and all her living creatures.
Why is this so? Well it’s because the modern pulp and paper production is an energy-intensive activity. In fact energy costs makes up to 25% of the total manufacturing cost.
The industry is also the single largest producer and user of biomass fuels (wood residues, residues from forestry operations, bark, black liquor and production residues), which basically spells greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and carbon dioxide emissions (CDEs). The combustion of fossil/biomass fuels pollutes the air with the release of by-products such as carbon dioxide (CO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particles.
But GHGs and CDEs is not all we have to worry about because this ‘new and improved’ paper making industry also affects our water. You simply can’t make paper without water. It is consumed in nearly all stages of the pulping and papermaking process, inevitably picking up effluents as a result. These waste water effluents contain mainly solids, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and organic substances such as organic chlorine compounds (AOX) which occurs naturally in wood or through the chlorine bleaching process. And when the waste water is not properly treated before it’s ‘disposal’ you can imagine how that affects the health of the eco-system.
But paper is vital to our lives in this modern age. Everywhere you look there’s paper. It’s in use to communicate information, for artistic and cultural expressions (they even make clothes – Sasawahi), to transport and protect products (packaging) for health related causes (personal hygiene and in medicine/healthcare).
So what can we do? Going entirely paperless isn’t exactly an aim within our feasibly reach (yet anyway). Our only temporary solution – support sustainable paper (recycled paper and the manufacturers who embrace sustainable paper making) and learn to appreciate paper as more than just bio-degradable waste (ration your usage to preserve the environment).
