Sustainability in paper-fibre based products and services to the print, carton board and publishing sectors
SustainabilityCarbon Balanced Paper
Carbon Balanced Paper provides organisations with a simple, credible and measurable way of compensating the carbon impact associated with the paper and board they use, while directly supporting the protection and restoration of some of the world's most threatened natural habitats.
The Carbon Balanced Paper programme works in partnership with World Land Trust (WLT), an international conservation charity established in 1989. WLT works with trusted conservation partners around the world to protect biologically important land, restore degraded habitats and safeguard threatened wildlife. Since its foundation, WLT and its overseas partners have helped secure and protect more than three million acres of threatened habitat.
The Carbon Balanced Paper programme works in partnership with World Land Trust (WLT), an international conservation charity established in 1989. WLT works with trusted conservation partners around the world to protect biologically important land, restore degraded habitats and safeguard threatened wildlife. Since its foundation, WLT and its overseas partners have helped secure and protect more than three million acres of threatened habitat.
Forests help cool the Earth and regulate climate.
Carbon Balanced Paper works in harmony with nature.
The carbon footprint of pulp sourcing and paper and board production is measurable. For several years, mills have submitted annual Paper Profiles or Environmental Product Declarations to confirm the greenhouse gas emissions associated with all aspects of their production process. The Carbon Balanced Paper programme uses an independently researched average cradle-to-gate carbon footprint for European graphical paper and board grades. This provides a consistent, measurable benchmark for calculating the emissions to be balanced.
Through a blended approach, carbon is balanced through projects certified to well-recognised international standards and include both;
Conserving high value carbon-rich habitats, which avoids the release of stored carbon and supports continued gradual natural carbon sequestration, whilst providing essential protection of the homes of hundreds of threatened species.
Reforestation projects that regenerate degraded habitats, increasing natural carbon removal capacity whilst maintaining a focus on wider community conservation goals and protection beyond CO2 removals alone.
Funds generated through the programme support WLT projects that protect carbon-rich forests from a real threat of deforestation and degradation, regenerating and conserving habitats capable of absorbing atmospheric carbon emissions. Protecting standing forests is particularly important because it prevents carbon already stored within trees and ecosystems from being released, while allowing those forests to continue removing carbon from the atmosphere.
The benefits therefore extend considerably beyond carbon. The conservation projects supported through Carbon Balanced Paper also help protect biodiversity, threatened species and important ecosystems, while providing additional benefits to local communities and long-term conservation objectives.
Denmaur has supported Carbon Balanced Paper since 2016 and offers customers a practical way of incorporating the programme into their print and paper purchasing decisions. Many products within Denmaur's portfolio are Carbon Balanced at Source, where the cost of balancing the paper has already been funded by the manufacturer. Other qualifying products can be Carbon Balanced for a surprisingly small cost.
Customers using Carbon Balanced Paper can also demonstrate their action. A registered Carbon Balanced Paper logo can be used on qualifying printed material, while an official World Land Trust certificate can confirm the amount of carbon balanced supporting direct conservation effort associated with the paper used. This provides organisations with tangible evidence that can support their sustainability reporting and communications.
Importantly, Carbon Balancing should complement rather than replace action to measure and reduce emissions at source. World Land Trust itself describes the approach as measuring your carbon footprint, reducing what you can and mitigating unavoidable emissions through conservation.
For printers, publishers, designers, brands and organisations seeking to reduce the environmental impact of their printed communications, Carbon Balanced Paper offers something highly practical: the opportunity to make a more responsible paper choice while helping protect forests, biodiversity and the natural ecosystems upon which we all depend.
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