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Eucalyptus globulus fibres are
very short, increasing the number
of fibres we can include in a given
area, resulting in better fibre
orientation and porosity. These
fibres also have a very thick cell
wall, resulting in higher levels of
thickness and stiffness.
Q
Does this mean that any
producer with access to
the same type of fibres can
produce a 75gsm office
paper of the same quality as
Discovery?
A
No, because besides the raw
materials (eucalyptus fibres
and a fine selection of other
ingredients developed over time
and scientifically blended to
optimise quality), grupo Portucel
Soporcel has impressive know-
how accumulated over many
years of intensive research and
development that has proved
to be extremely valuable in
producing a paper like Discovery.
This know-how, combined with
state-of-the-art paper machines,
enables us to make the most of
the excellent raw materials we
use to produce our papers.
Q
Besides the obvious quality,
what other important attributes
does Discovery have?
A
Producing a lower grammage
paper has a lot of environmental
benefits making Discovery a strong
ecological paper. The use of less
wood fibre, combined with the use
of the most efficient tree species
– eucalyptus globulus – results in
a higher number of reams for the
same quantity of wood – when
comparing Discovery 75gsm
(+48%) or Discovery 70gsm
(+58%) with an alternative 80gsm
paper. Changing from 80gsm to
75gsm or 70gsm is also a simple
way of reducing paper waste.
Q
Is Discovery a good choice
for organisations with green
procurement strategies?
A
Absolutely. By specifying Discovery,
organisations are demonstrating
environmental responsibility and
minimising environmental impact
as the manufacturing process
consumes less resources.
Q
Is the use of recycled office
paper more ecological than the
use of Discovery?
A
No! It’s vital that we recycle paper
as much as we can, but also that
we use the recycled fibres where
it makes more sense. Packaging,
newspaper and tissue account for
almost 70% of the total amount of
paper used in Europe. All of these
types of paper can be produced
in some cases with almost 100%
recycled fibre. In contrast to office
papers, this can be done without
impacting paper quality and
office equipment wear and tear.
Using recycled fibre for these
papers alone would be enough to
achieve the maximum theoretical
recycling rate for paper and board
in Europe.
Q
So you are saying that we
should use recycled paper, but
not for office paper?
A
That’s right. Office paper
represents a mere 4% of European
paper and board consumption
and has more demanding quality
characteristics. There is no
sensible rationale for promoting
the use of recycled fibres to
manufacture office paper to strict
standards with longer life cycles.
This could ultimately mean that
valuable timber resources would
be used to manufacture lower
quality paper products which
have shorter life cycles or which
can no longer be recycled. Office
papers produced with new fibres
provide an excellent resource
for recycling into products with
progressively less demanding
quality characteristics.
Q
What kind of environmental
certifications does Discovery
have?
A
Discovery has EU Ecolabel
certification and Discovery 75gsm
is also FSC certified. Ecolabel is a
European label which guarantees
that the product is produced
in accordance with strict
environmental rules.
Q
Is Discovery only available
in A4?
A
No. Discovery is also available in
A3, 2- and 4-hole punched and
fast-pack versions. Fast-pack is a
very useful solution that includes
2,500 sheets of unwrapped paper,
perfect for high volume machines.
The special packaging saves time
feeding the printing machines
and minimises waste packaging
materials.
www.portucelsoporcel.com
...continued
Discovery
has the EU
Ecolabel;
and Discovery
75gsm is also
FSC certified.
“
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