Fiber and Forests

Forestry is a major focus of the global sustainability movement, now that the consequences of clear cutting and irresponsible forestry are becoming apparent in terms of climate change, flooding and loss of biodiversity.

In recent years, forestry companies and paper mills have increasingly collaborated with environmental groups to become more responsible caretakers of forest lands. As a non-integrated paper mill, Mohawk purchases all of its' virgin and recycled fiber pulp from market sources. They have the flexibility to choose the type of fiber and sources for the fiber they buy.

Mohawk’s fiber suppliers have been notified that Mohawk will not accept fiber harvested from high conservation-value old growth forests. They are required to provide documentation demonstrating sound environmental practices and responsible forestry management. If the wood pulp comes from a forest that has been certified for FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) standards, they can be sure that the natural resource has been managed responsibly.

Mohawk and Carbon Neutral?

Since 2003 Mohawk has been a leader in the support of emission–free, renewable energy. In addition to voluntarily capping emissions and making significant investments to reduce energy and emissions, Mohawk is one of the top 25 largest purchasers of wind-generated electricity RECs among manufacturing companies in the U.S. On June 1, 2007, Mohawk Fine Papers increased its purchase of wind–generated electricity RECs from 60,000,000 kWh to 100,000,000 kWh annually. This is enough to match 100% of the electric power required for all of Mohawk’s operations in its New York and Ohio facilities.

In March of 2007, Mohawk joined the U.S. EPA Climate Leaders program to further develop greenhouse gas reduction goals. As an extension of our voluntary commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to support renewable electric power, Mohawk began to offer products that are made carbon neutral. Today, Beckett Cambric, Beckett Expression, Beckett Concept, Beckett Enhance, Beckett Ridge, Strathmore Writing, and Strathmore Script are made carbon neutral within our production processes by offsetting thermal manufacturing emissions with VERs and the emissions from purchased electricity with Green–e certified windpower RECs.What is carbon neutral?

Carbon neutral is an emerging international trend that can describe products, operations and activities, which have had their emissions calculated and reduced where possible. The remaining carbon dioxide emissions are then "offset" through credits that fund renewable, emission–free energy projects such as wind farms and solar installations. The carbon offset market allows businesses to recognize and financially support the shift from fossil fuel to renewable energy.
As a partner in the EPA Climate Leaders program, Mohawk is completing an "emission inventory." The results of this rigorous process will provide the basis for further emission reductions and carbon offsets. Mohawk purchases VERs which support renewable energy projects. These offsets are third–party verified to meet the standards of the Environmental Resources Trust’s GHG (Greenhouse Gas) Registry. The GHG Registry Standard is based on guidelines developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the international scientific body supporting the Kyoto Protocol.

For Mohawk's carbon neutral qualification, Mohawk offsets both the electricity and the thermal energy used to make paper. Beckett Cambric, Beckett Expression, Beckett Concept, Beckett Enhance, Beckett Ridge, Strathmore Writing and Strathmore Script are made carbon neutral within our production processes by offsetting thermal manufacturing emissions with VERs and emissions from purchased electricity with RECs from Green–e certified windpower projects.

Mohawk announces 100% windpower

As of June 1, 2007, Mohawk Fine Papers has increased its purchase of wind-generated electricity RECs from 60,000,000 kWh to 100,000,000 kWh annually. This represents 100% of all of the electric energy used for all of Mohawk’s manufacturing, converting and distribution operations in New York and Ohio. In 2003 Mohawk became one the first large-scale production facilities in the United States to use non-polluting wind-generated electricity.
All Mohawk, Beckett and Strathmore Writing and Script grades are entirely manufactured with wind-generated electricity and certified by Green-e, the nation's leading independent certification and verification program for renewable energy products.
Mohawk Fine Papers and its mills were the first in the U.S. to use wind-generated energy to manufacture paper. With many of its corporate customers seeking ways to mitigate their impacts on the environment and looking for innovative ways to highlight their socially responsible actions, Mohawk responded by developing a complete portfolio of papers manufactured with non-polluting, wind-generated electricity from wind farms in upstate New York and Pennsylvania.

Baron is FSC Certified

Baron, one of the national engravers and printers, dedicated to leading the way on environmental standards, has earned the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Chain of Custody certification (#SCS-COC-001699). FSC is recognized world-wide as the most rigorous and credible forest certification system.

FSC Chain of Custody Certification means that our company meets strict tracking requirements for insuring that products we sell as FSC-certified come from well-managed forests and meet FSC international standards.

Many of our customers were requesting information on Green Printing but were limited by budgetary constraints. Baron did an extensive research and now can offer several options making green printing affordable.

There are many solutions for your firm to go green. Please review the following information to see what options your firm might be interested in:

• Use recycled products made with post-consumer waste (PCW), that means that materials were previously used and collected for recycling

• Use recycled products made with a mixture of virgin wood fiber and pre-consumer or post-consumer waste

• Choose 100% cotton papers - 100% recycled, completely Tree-Free and automatically environmentally friendly

• Select FSC certified papers, an FSC certified printer and show the FSC logo on your stationery and marketing materials.

Mohawk Papers Says "It's Easy Being Green"

Now it's easy to make your company more "green." You already know that using recycled paper is one step towards helping the environment. But when looking for environmentally sensible papers you should dig deeper than just the recycled content.

Knowing how the paper is made is important. Look for manufacturers that minimize the environmental impact during the production process. Some questions you can ask us are: Does the paper company support responsible forest management? Are they FSC certified? Are the papers produced with renewable energy? Are they third party certified? This information will help you supply your customers with the best environmental options.

Mohawk offers the widest range of environmental papers on today's market. As of June 1st, all of Mohawk's papers are manufactured with 100% wind-generated electricity. In addition to its highly regarded Windpower porfolio, Mohawk is now making Strathmore Writing, Strathmore Script, Beckett Concept and Beckett Expression carbon neutral. This means that these grades are made entirely with renewable energy.

How does Mohawk make paper carbon neutral? First, Mohawk makes every effort to physically reduce emissions associated with production such as replacing its steam plants with low-emission natural gas fired boilers, choosing suppliers that are also environmentally responsible, increasing the amount of post-consumer waste fiber used and converting its fleet of trucks to biodiesel fuel. Then, the grades are made carbon neutral within the production processes by offsetting both thermal and electrical energy emissions. These offsets help fund renewable energy projects that would not be financially possible otherwise.

Why is this significant? "Environmental concerns are top of mind for businesses and consumers alike. In addition to looking for ways to reduce our own carbon footprint, we feel it is equally important to provide products to customers who are looking for opportunities to contribute to the cause," said Chris Harrold, Mohawk's Director, Business Development.

The carbon offsets Mohawk purchases are verified emissions reduction credits (VERs), which offset all of the thermal energy used in the production of Strathmore Writing, Strathmore Script, Beckett Concept and Beckett Expression. These offsets are verified by the Environmental Resources Trust and are listed on their Greenhouse Gas Registry.

"Third party certification for carbon offsets is important because it verifies that the offsets are funding projects that could only happen because of the carbon market," says Harrold.

Harry Potter Goes Green

In additon to being the fastest selling book in both the United States and Britain, Harry Potter has set another important record -- only this time for the benefit of the environment. The seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling, ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,’ is printed on FSC certified paper. "With a total of 22 million pounds, this is the largest purchase of FSC-certified paper in a single book printing to date (FSC News Headlines, 03/21/07)."

FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council, which is an organization dedicated to making sure forests are managed in an environmentally responsible way. Harry Potter's US publisher, Scholastic, Inc., ensured that at least 65% of the 16,700 tons of paper used for the initial printing of 12 million copies in the US is FSC-certified and contains at least 30% post-consumer waste fiber, in accordance with FSC standards.

As the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books, Scholastic continues to work with Rainforest Alliance to improve its carbon footprint by engaging in more responsible paper procurement policies.

Senior marketing manager in the Rainforest Alliance’s sustainable forestry program, Liza Murphy, states, “We applaud Scholastic’s progressive and bold commitment to support responsible forestry practices by buying FSC-certified and recycled papers. We hope that other businesses follow this lead by making commitments to using wood products that come from forests that are managed to be productive, protect soils and waterways, and benefit local communities.”

More About FSC Forestlands (from FSC News Headlines, 03/21/07):

"The area of FSC-certified forestlands has skyrocketed in recent years. More than 215 million acres (87 million hectares) globally are FSC-certified to date, up from more than 118 million acres (48 million hectares) in 2004. This increase has propelled rapid growth in the global supply of FSC-certified wood products including paper. Several hundred pulp providers, mills, merchants and printers globally have obtained FSC certification, which allows for increasing availability of certified products to consumers.

"Increasing consumer interest in FSC-certified products ensures that forest companies have growing economic incentives to manage their lands responsibly."

(Source: Rainforest Alliance Press Release, 03/20/07)