Is recycled paper less eco-friendly than virgin stock?

There is a common myth that recycled paper is not an eco-friendly alternative to using non-recycled paper because it requires more energy to produce and releases more pollution.

On the face of it, recycled paper does use more energy than non-recycled stock because of the additional cleaning involved. However, waste paper does not require the vast amounts of energy which is involved in turning wood chips into pulp – which is required to produce new paper.

To dispel another myth, the production of recycled paper does NOT produce more pollution than the production of new paper. Many recycled papers require little, if any, bleaching for example. In contrast, virgin pulp, which is naturally brown, has to be bleached before it can be made into paper. Furthermore, in general, eco-friendly processes are used to clean waste paper, if necessary, such as diluting and dispersing ink into the pulp (which does not produce any extra pollution).

Recycled paper is certainly a ‘green’ option but that doesn’t mean that new paper cannot be eco-friendly. If you wish to use new paper rather than recycled, opt for an FSC accredited stock and you can be sure that your paper has come from a sustainable and well managed forest.

wewow work with a vast range of FSC and 100% recycled stocks so whatever you need we can help.

Recent Eco-friendly Projects

Recent Projects :)

wewow plan launch of unique eco-friendly packaging design competition

With the launch of their specialist eco-friendly packaging arm, weEco.co.uk, approaching wewow have announced that they will be hosting a unique competition for budding product designers.

wewow Ltd. are keen to work with the best up and coming design talent and encourage sustainable design practices, with the aim of developing a bespoke media package which will benefit both their clients and the environment.

The competition will be open to anyone over the age of 18 with a unique packaging design concept for optical media. Designers should pay particular attention to the eco-friendly credentials of their design and the winner will work with wewow to develop their idea into a sustainable and commercially viable product.

Individuals, companies and educational institutions who are interested in participating in the competition should register their interest by emailing competitions@wewow.co.uk to receive an information pack. Applications will be available online from 1^st September 2009.

Eco-friendly Optical Media Project

wewow have recently worked on an eco-friendly project with Nelson and Colne College. The project involved bringing together printed and replicated DVDs with environmentally friendly WowWallets which were produced using FSC accredited board and printed with vegetable based inks.

The end results were impressive and we are pleased to add another 'green' project to our portfolio.

Professional CD and DVD Printing Options

Gone are the days of sticking printed labels onto discs. Quality CD/DVD duplication and replication companies now print directly onto the face of CDs and DVDs with a range of high-quality solutions available for projects of varying size.

Inkjet Print

Inkjet-print technology is now so advanced that professional results can be produced with ease and at a low cost for short-run projects. CMYK ink is laid onto CD-R and DVD-R discs which are coated specifically to allow for the absorption of the ink. High standard printable discs are available but budget discs can also be used if necessary as both produce professional results. For large volume jobs, a more cost-effective option is to opt for silk screen or lithographic print.

Silk-Screen Print

For large volume projects, generally those above 500 units, silk-screen is one of the most cost-effective print methods and produces visually stunning results. Each individual colour, up to 5 being printed in total, is applied using a separate film. For designs that utilize large areas of block colour, silk-screen is the ideal solution as spot/pantone colours can be applied and produce glossy, solid results. Pantone colours also allow for an exact colour match.

Lithographic Offset Print

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (Black) are printed onto the disc using rollers. Smaller text, detailed photographic images and gradients are printed much more effectively with this method. Lithographic print is available at 150-175lpi (lines per inch), in contrast to silk screen which is usually at 85-100lpi. Both methods are industry standard.

wewow always advise customers on the most appropriate print option for their project and are on hand to provide explanations and guidance of the various print options that are available.