If you ask anyone working in the design or printing sector about the use of recycled paper, you will most likely receive a response that is somewhat different from this one: printing on recycled paper is beneficial to the environment. The discourse rarely moves beyond this point to discuss the myriad of ways in which the utilization of recycled paper in commercial printing benefits all parties concerned, including everything. This is even though this is undeniably true.

If you are interested in reducing your overall carbon footprint or aligning yourself more closely with the interests and values of your consumers, selecting recycled business cards for commercial print projects such as direct mail, catalogs, brochures, sales and marketing collateral, and other similar projects offers a range of benefits.

Let’s take a quick look at five benefits of choosing recycled paper for commercial printing to help you better understand how and why it is important.

1. Recycled Cards Reduce Landfill Produce

Did you know that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies landfills as the single largest source of methane emissions into the atmosphere and that the breakdown of paper is the major source of methane produced by landfills?

Because methane can trap more than twenty times the amount of heat that carbon dioxide does, it is one of the primary contributors to climate change. Therefore, it is essential to take measures to reduce methane emissions to ensure the health of the ecosystem.

However, selecting a recycled business card helps slow the rate at which landfills are filling up, which in turn lessens the quantity of damaging greenhouse gases that are generated by them. About eighty percent of paper thrown ends up in a landfill without ever being recycled.

In addition, this highlights the significance of recycling used paper and paper goods rather than simply disposing of them in the garbage can closest to you.

2. The level of opacity of recycled business cards is higher.

When recycled paper is compared to virgin paper, it typically has a higher opacity, which offers up some fascinating opportunities for cost savings and increases the opportunity for creative expression. In other words, the opacity of business cards is its ability to block the passage of light from one side to the other, and it is essential to consider this ability when printing projects such as books or pamphlets. 

Since recycled business cards have a better opacity than virgin paper, it is possible to print on a lighter paper stock without compromising the quality of the print. Both advantages are present here:

• To begin with, the option to employ lighter paper stock can help you lower your paper supplies expenditures.
• Second, when it comes to direct mail marketing, using a lighter-weight stock can also help you save money on postal costs.

Additionally, recycled fibers have a higher opacity than virgin cards, making them a more versatile option for designers and printers.

3. Recycled business cards help conserve resources

The manufacture of recycled paper utilizes around 26% less energy than the creation of virgin fiber, even though you might believe that the recycling process requires more resources than the production of conventional cards due to operations such as de-inking, shredding, and pulping.

Selecting recycled business cards results in about forty percent less wastewater being produced compared to virgin paper. This helps alleviate the strain placed on water treatment facilities and decreases the environmental effects caused by the transportation and disposal of wastewater.

However, the trade-off is that recycled business cards can be a bit more expensive than conventional cards. That’s why partnering with a supplier that only harvests from sustainably managed forests—one that plants new trees to replace the ones that are harvested for card production—can be a happy medium between controlling costs and making responsible choices for the long-term health of our environment.

4. More in line with the sentiments and values of consumers.

According to a recent article published in Forbes, an increasing number of consumer demographics are placing sustainability and environmental responsibility at the top of their priority list when it comes to purchasing items or connecting with brands.

Using recycled business cards for print projects can be a powerful differentiator and strong selling point, and partnering with a paper provider that recognizes and values this shift in consumer sentiment is essential to align with what consumers want. The continued development of a more environmentally conscious consumer means that recycled paper can be used for print projects.

5. The deterioration of forests is mitigated by recycled business cards.

Using recycled paper in commercial printing helps minimize the number of trees that are cut down, which in turn contributes to the preservation of our forests. This may be a clear explanation.

However, there is more to it than that. A healthy forest system that is not excessively harvested to produce paper results in less soil erosion, the preservation of biodiversity, the maintenance of habitats for wildlife, and a reduction in the amount of greenhouse gasses released into the environment during the harvesting process.

Additionally, recycled business cards created from post-consumer material can be reused numerous times, which increases the environmental value of selecting a recycled fiber and reduces the impact of forest degradation.

In the end!

In this regard, purchasing business cards produced from trees that originate from a managed forest can also reduce forest degradation and preserve a vibrant and healthy environment. Working with a card provider that sources its products from managed forests not only helps to create employment opportunities but also promotes the economies of the communities in which managed forests are located.

Featured image by rivage on Unsplash