Paper reduction

Why reduce paper use?

• Sourcing: Deforestation for paper production affects carbon storage, reduces habitats and old-growth forests, and leads to ecosystem destruction, soil erosion and reduced water quality.
• Manufacturing: Chemicals are used to paper production pollute land, water and air. The process also consumes large amounts of energy and water.
• Disposal: Paper in landfills generates methane, with 25 per cent of all landfill waste coming from paper products.
• Save money: Digital documents save space and reduce costs for paper, postage and filing.

For more reasons on why you should reduce paper, read The Environmental Sustainability of Paper.

How can I reduce my paper use?

• Recycle: Recycle used paper, reuse single-sided pages, and buy recycled-content paper.
• Think before you print: Only print when necessary, reduce copies and check mailing lists for duplicates. 
• Use paper efficiently: Print double-sided, reduce margins and font sizes (e.g. Times New Roman or Arial require less space) and use print preview.
• Use technology: Communicate electronically, hold paperless meetings and adopt electronic forms.

Paper facts

• Decomposing paper emits methane, which is 25 times more harmful than carbon dioxide.
• Packaging is now the largest category of paper use, accounting for 41 per cent.
• Paper manufacturing is the third-largest user of fossil fuels globally.
• Paper products are more than one-third of Canada’s waste, with only 25 per cent recycled.
• Producing 1 kg of paper uses approximately 324 litres of water.
• Recycling 54 kg of newspaper saves one tree. 

Our commitment

We are transitioning to recycled content and wheat-derived paper products. Step Forward paper is 80 per cent tree-free, made from leftover wheat straw and is Forest Stewardship Council certified. The paper is recyclable, biodegradable and compostable and does not impact the food supply chain.