The Innovative
Paper Industry
September 2024
Paper Amidst a Technological Revolution
As we continue to see transformation in the technological world, it’s no surprise that this revolution of sorts is also affecting the paper industry with more efficient and environmentally friendly paper production. Paper with environment credentials has been strongly supported in recent years and will continue to be through 2025. But what new options could be on the horizon for 2025 and beyond?
PAPER IS NOT DEAD
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Despite the continued iteration over the last quarter of a century that digital will kill paper, this simply has not happened and won’t any time soon. Instead of the death of paper, we’ve seen a marked evolution in paper production technologies. Consumers have demanded greater environmental responsibility and the paper industry has risen to the challenge. There are increasingly more environmental options available when specifying paper for your printed work with tactility being a big factor when choosing your paper these days as consumers value the tactile experience of the printed material more than any other time in history.
ALTERNATIVE FIBRES
Alternative fibres will be huge in the future with development in a variety of renewable sources including agrictultural residues (straw, corn etc), grasses, and fast growing crops like bamboo and hemp.
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This shift away from wood fibres reduces environmental impact and meets an increase in consumer demand for sustainable papers. These alternative fibres will also be produced to high quality standards.
NON-FIBRE ALTERNATIVES
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There has also been a lot of research and development in non-fibre alternatives to wood fibres. These include:
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• Polypropylene; using recycled polypropylene for durable weather resistant paper, think product labels. See Gordon Harris who stock a variety.
• Stone paper; this product replaces aluminium foil with eco-friendly and durable stone, from Paper Not Foil (NZ).
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• Herbivore Faeces; there have been incredible developments in this field and it’s becoming more popular. I was surprised at the number of places evolving this kind of paper. From elephant poo to cow poo ... google and see.
PACKAGING ALTERNATIVES
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Packaging hasn't been exempt from the technological revolution as consumers demand ever increasing environmental responsibility in packaging specifications. Below are some notable advancements in this field:
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• Bioplastics; this is another area that is going ahead in leaps and bounds and now these options for packaging, bottles, films and trays, are no longer prohibitively expensive making them an essential alternative to plastic.
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• Paper Bottles; Kagzi Bottles (India) is the a developer and manufacturer of 100% compostable paper bottles used for toiletries, beverages, liquids and powders. Consider specifying this brand as it will score huge points with consumers.
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• T-Eco & Moulded Fibre; Transcend Packaging (UK) is an industry leader with regard to R&D and innovative evolution in sustainable packaging. A stand out product is their T-Eco Kraft board containers and Moulded Fibre lids, scoops, trays etc. These products are well worth considering.
RECYCLING
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Recycled paper and the ability to recycle paper has been popular in order to reduce the use of virgin wood fibres and technologies only continue to improve. Recycling will therefore continue to have a big impact on paper choices going into the future.
PAPER RESOURCE
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BJ Ball is your one-stop, online resource centre for paper for the commercial print industry in Australia and New Zealand. View their product range in order to accurately specify their papers and cards when completing your jobs.
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