Recycled Paper

It's hip to be "green" and the paper industry is cashing in on the trend. As a consumer, it really does pay to do your research and find out which products are created sustainably and which ones are misleading. Just about anyone can slap an organic or recycled label on a product and charge you more for it.
Many office supply stores charge three times as much for their brand of "green" paper while only 30% of the paper is recycled. This 30% is the minimum required by the EPA- for all paper. The remaining 70% is virgin tree fiber and the paper is also bleached. This means that forests are still being destroyed and watersheds polluted with carcinogens. Know the lingo!
Here are a few tips and links to help you keep a sharp weather eye out....

Virgin fiber is fiber that has never been used before in the manufacture of paper or other products.
Agricultural byproducts are fibrous byproducts of agriculture, such as cereal straws and corn stalks, which have previously been treated as a waste stream. These materials are routinely burned or flooded from fields, wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds of a valuable resource and damaging the environment.
Non-wood or tree-free fiber refers to fiber that comes from sources other than trees, such as agricultural byproducts, kenaf, and hemp. These fiber sources are commonly used in other parts of the world, and can be cultivated here to help reduce pressure on forest lands.
Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) applies to virgin fiber paper bleached without chlorine or chlorine derivatives.
Elementally Chlorine Free (ECF) recycled papers produced from pulp that has been bleached with a chlorine derivative such as chlorine dioxide (ClO2), but without elemental chlorine (Cl). This bleaching process uses chlorine compounds to whiten the pulp. While a significantly cleaner process than chlorine gas bleaching, it still causes the formation of harmful chlorinated organic compounds, which can be released into the environment. These dioxins have been associated with adverse affects on the immune and reproductive systems of human as well as those of fish and wildlife species.
Processed Chlorine Free (PCF) no chlorine or chlorine derivatives were used in the recycling process, but papers which were originally bleached with chlorine or chlorine derivatives may have been used as feedstock.

If the paper is not additionally labeled, it is probably virgin tree fiber, bleached with chlorine or derivatives. There is no reason to continue this process! It all comes down to the consumer vote, if it is not sustainably produced, don't buy it. Encourage your local offices, schools, banks etc. to purchase paper products that are chlorine-free and use a minimal amount of virgin tree fiber.

Magic Mama uses office paper that is 100% Post Consumer Waste which is 100% Processed Chlorine-Free and Acid-Free manufactured by Badger.
For her tags and promotional material, Magic Mama uses French paper that is 100% recycled with a minimum 20% post-consumer and chlorine/acid-free.
Until there is a much higher demand for these kinds of products (which will reduce the cost to consumers), Magic Mama will continue to pay the extra dollars and vote for a healthier world.

Here are some interesting links worth checking out:
http://www.conservatree.com/
http://paperthought.blogspot.com/
http://thepaperplanet.blogspot.com/