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.