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.
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
http://www.thehia.org/ – Hemp Industries Organization – The Hemp Industries Association (HIA) is a non-profit trade group representing hemp companies, researchers and supporters. We are at the forefront of the drive for fair and equal treatment of industrial hemp.