By its very nature, paper is more eco-friendly than many other materials – primarily, of course, it is renewable. However, when examining the environmental impact of paper, other factors also need to be considered, such as the origin of the wood which the cellulose is extracted from, the amount of water used in production, the pollution created by paper mills and the distance that the finished product needs to travel before it reaches the counters. For these reasons, we always use paper from sustainable forestry. And on top of that, many of our products contain paper made by Arctic Paper, who are known for their strict observance to the highest ecological standards.
The story of the Arctic Paper paper mill has the ring of fairy-tale to it. It sits amid the picturesque countryside of the Gullmars fjord in the south of Sweden and has been making paper here since the 19th century. And the paper they make today is not all that different from the paper they were making in 1871 – it still contains 97% water and 3% cellulose. This cellulose comes from timber certified by both FSC and PEFC, from the kind of sustainable forestry that aims to preserve dignified living conditions for local nature and local workforce alike.
The mill uses only 3 – 4 cubic metres for every tonne of paper they produce – this is 60 – 65% less than is common elsewhere, and something of which Arctic Paper are rightly proud. As for the water that leaves the factory and goes back into the river Munkedal, one further round of filtration is all that separates it from reaching the quality of drinking water; it is clean enough for the salmon who swim seaward in the river. From time to time a salmon loses its way and ends up in the mill’s pipes; happily, there is always someone on hand to rescue it!
Off all the paper types in their wide range, our favourite is Munken, with its exceptional, natural feel and high absorbency. This is what the people who make it say about it: ‘Munken is about dedication – to design, to nature, to detail. If your choice is between design or environmental concerns – choose booth!’ We heartily agree.
You will find Munken in all our diaries and in these products: professio, professio midi travel diary, ripblok, panblok and our paper/envelope in-one let it envelope and in our photo albums and compliments cards.
