It’s no secret that paper production and deforestation go hand-in-hand. Long before we ever knew of the evils of styrofoam cups, drift-net fishing, or any of a thousand other ecological no-no’s, we knew that using paper meant killing trees. Recycled paper is a step in the right direction, but it still involves the harvesting of trees early in the process. Now, however, TreeZero paper products is offering up TreeFrog copier paper - it’s made with absolutely no wood fiber, just sugar cane and bamboo.
TreeFrog has a weight of 22 pounds and a brightness of 92, which is a technical way of saying that it’s decent-quality paper. It’s composed of 70% sugar cane and 30% bamboo fiber. The sugar cane is agricultural waste material, left over from sugar harvesting, and would otherwise end up being burned or dumped. It comes from a cane plantation near TreeZero’s processing facilities, so little carbon is generated by its transportation. The bamboo is likewise not grown specifically for paper production, but is salvaged from construction sites, scaffolding, and other uses.
TreeFrog can be recycled along with wood pulp paper, and is third party tested for composition. It is also chlorine-free, and uses 10-15% less bleach in its production than normal paper.
Sounds pretty good, considering its price is reportedly similar to what we’re used to paying to feed our copiers.
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