Tree-Free
Paper vs Recycled Paper
Recycled Paper is made from both virgin tree-fibres and recycled
fibres with one exception, and that is 100% post-consumer paper
which is made from 100% recycled fibres. Therefore, trees are
still cut to make most recycled paper.
In general, fibres are separated from the other materials when
paper is recycled. The leftover "sludge" contains unwanted
toxic residues such as pigments, heavy metals and other ingredients
from printing inks and adhesives. It is estimated that 100 tonnes
of recycled paper generate 40 tonnes of toxic sludge causing
major disposal problems.
Finally, The quality of a recycled paper tends to be less desirable
due to shorter fibres and other impurities.
A Brief History of Papermaking
The first paper sheets (reported 105 AD in China by Ts'ai Lun)
were made from hemp fibre. During the 8th century, the Chinese
papermaking craftsmanship was transferred to Arabic and North-African
countries. In fact, the first paper mill in this part of the
world was located in Baghdad. The first European papermaking
was reported in the first half of the 16th century. Until the
early 19th century,the raw material were rags. Rags are worn
out clothes made from hemp and flax (sometimes cotton) at that
time. Therefore, almost all paper in history was made from hemp
and flax fibres. The first Gutenberg bible and the first drafts
of Washington's Declaration of Independence were printed on hemp
paper.
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With
the industrial revolution and the inventions
of faster printing machines, the demand for paper
started to exceed the rag supply. This shortage
threatened the monopoly for hemp and flax as
papermaking fibres. This was the eventual push
for inventors and industries to develop new processes
to be able to use the world's most abundant (and
free) source of natural fibres: our forest. Currently,
only about 5% of the world's paper is made from
annual plants like hemp, flax, cotton, sugarcane,
bagasse, esparto, wheat straw, reeds, sisal,
abaca, ananas and other exotic species.
Today, North
America is the largest producer of pulp and
paper products. Canada is 4th in paper
production and No.1 in paper export in the world.
Industrial
Hemp -- The Eco-Friendly Crop
Industrial
hemp ...
•Grows quickly (70 to 110 days to mature to a 6 - 16 foot stalk).
•is a hardy plant that can be grown in most climates.
•Resists diseases - doesn't need pesticides, herbicides
or fungicides.
• Is a rotation crop that can be grown without
chemical fertilizer.
•Thrives on organic fertilizers.
•Yields 3 to 8 tonnes of dry stalk per acre.
•Leaves fields fertile and weed-free for the next
crop, after harvesting.
Uses:
Paper, Textiles,Food,Seeds, Fuel,Medicine,Cancer
Therapy,
Glaucoma, Epilepsy,Multiple Sclerosis,Paraplegia and Quadriplegia,
AIDS |
