ISO 9001:2000 Quality Control Certification

Our Canadian manufacturer, Lowe-Martin, is ISO 9001:2000 certified.

ISO 9000 is a family of standards for quality management systems. ISO 9000 is maintained by ISO, the International Organization for Standardization and is administered by accreditation and certification bodies. The rules are updated, as the requirements motivate changes over time. Some of the requirements in ISO 9001:2008 (which is one of the standards in the ISO 9000 family) include --
-- a set of procedures that cover all key processes in the business
-- monitoring processes to ensure they are effective
-- keeping adequate records
-- checking output for defects, with appropriate and corrective action where necessary
-- regularly reviewing individual processes and the quality system itself for effectiveness
-- facilitating continual improvement

FSC Certification

Our Canadian and New Jersey facilities are FSC certified.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accredits independent, third-party certification bodies or "certifiers" to certify forests. Certifiers assess forest management using the FSC principles, criteria, and standards. Certifiers also track chain-of-custody certification in industries that use forest products, including printing.

This "chain of custody"(COC) certification process is quite simple. Like any inventory control system, COC allows products to be segregated and identified as having come from a particular source -- in this case, an FSC-certified forest.

FSC's model of certification allows products that flow from certified forests to enter the marketplace with a credential that is unique. Any FSC labeled product can be traced back to a certified source. This aspect of the system is the basis for any credible certification system and is the link between consumer preference and responsible, on the ground forest management.

Bullfrog Power

In 2007, our Canadian manufacturer became the largest purchaser of 100 per cent green electricity in the Canadian commercial print industry.

With the help of Bullfrog Power, we offer our clients printed materials produced with clean, renewable, emissions-free power that drastically reduces traditional power usage and greenhouse gas emissions.

About Bullfrog Power
Bullfrog Power is a leading provider of 100 per cent green electricity. All of Bullfrog's power comes from clean, renewable sources such as wind power and low-impact water power that displace polluting and carbon-intensive sources like coal. Bullfrog sources power exclusively from generators that have received Environment Canada's Environmental Choice Program EcoLogo certification.

Eco Logo

Our Canadian manufacturer is EcoLogo certified.

Founded in 1988 by the Government of Canada but now recognized world-wide, EcoLogo is North America's largest, most respected environmental standard and certification mark. EcoLogo provides assurance that the products and services bearing the logo meet stringent standards of environmental leadership.

The EcoLogo Program is a Type I eco-label, as defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). This means that the Program compares products/services with others in the same category, develops rigorous and scientifically relevant criteria that reflect the entire lifecycle of the product, and awards the EcoLogo to those that are verified by an independent third party as complying with the criteria. For printers, this means strict VOC, water effluents and waste targets.

The EcoLogo Program meets ISO 14024 standards for eco-labelling.

One World

Nearly 80% of the world's original old growth forests have been logged or severely degraded. 40% of the world's industrial logging goes into making paper and this is expected to reach 50% in the near future.

Worldwide, the pulp and paper industry is the 5th largest industrial consumer of energy. Producing recycled paper uses up to 70% less energy than virgin paper, as well as using far less water.

Why Should I Choose Recycled Papers?

-- Reduce landfill - using recycled paper diverts waste paper from entering landfills. Landfills are a source of methane emissions, which are a contributor to global warming. What is equally important is that landfills are rapidly becoming full, and fewer new sites are available.

-- Continue the demand for recycled materials - recycling is only viable if end-markets are created for the products made from recovered waste paper.

-- Place less strain on global forest resources - paper recycling optimises the use of a valuable material and reduces the amount of virgin pulp required. Although forests are increasingly managed in a sustainable way there is a need to reduce wastage by using more recycled content.

What about Quality and Performance?

Performance of premium recycled papers made from 100% de-inked waste is equivalent to virgin paper.

Is Recycled Paper More Expensive?

Not necessarily. 100%pcw is more expensive, but today most paper contains 10-30% recycled content.

What is Virgin Fiber?

Virgin fiber is new, typically wood, fiber that has never been used by a manufacturer before to make paper or other products.

What, Exactly, is Waste?

-- Post Consumer (PCW) waste is paper that has been used by the consumer and returned for recycling, thus keeping it out of a landfill. The more post-consumer waste that is incorporated into recycled material the better.

-- Convertors waste is waste from a cutting or slitting operation undertaken to meet a commercial order.

-- Printers waste, printed or unprinted, is waste collected from a printing operation and may be either 'trimmings' (guillotine waste), 'overs', 'rejects' or any other similar waste received direct from a printer.

How is Ink removed from Paper for Recycling?

Sometimes the ink is not removed from the paper when it is processed but allowed to disperse into the pulp, discoloring it slightly - which is why some recycled paper can have a greyish tinge. However, quality recycled papers are de-inked and of a conventional whiteness. Paper is de-inked by washing, flotation or a combination of both --

-- Washing: As the paper is pulped, soaps are added which separate the ink from the paper and allow it to be washed away in water which can then be cleaned and re-used.

-- Flotation: Air is blown through the pulp, producing foam which captures at least half of the ink and can be skimmed off.

Although the de-inking process uses water and chemicals, it is still less harmful to the environment than the manufacturing process of making new paper.

What happens to the Ink?

Ink that is removed from recycled pulp can be burned to generate energy to run the paper mill, or sold to make useful materials such as compost or gravel for roads.

What are ECF and TCF Papers?

ECF (Elemental Chlorine Free) and TCF (Totally Chlorine Free) papers are made from pulp which has been bleached using hydrogen peroxide instead of harmful chlorine. Recycled papers are de-inked and if necessary are brightened with hydrogen peroxide or inert, harmless brightening compounds.

What is Acid Free Paper?

Acid free paper has had the acid removed from the pulp leaving it with a neutral pH of 7.

Recycled Paper

Recycled paper is a broad term with multiple variations. Plainly stated, recycled paper is a grade of paper that contains recycled (post-consumer and/or pre-consumer) fiber. There are recycled paper grades that range from 10% post-consumer to 100% post-consumer recycled. The U.S. EPA has developed guidelines for federally funded purchases that require a minimum of 30% post-consumer content for uncoated printing and writing paper. These standards are generally accepted as de facto (but voluntary) national standards.

Virgin Fiber Paper

Virgin fiber paper is manufactured without the use of any recycled or alternative fibers. Trees are the typical source of the virgin fiber used in the papermaking process. However, virgin fibers can be sourced from agricultural by-products and alternative fibers.

Post-consumer Fiber

Executive Order 13101 defines "post-consumer material" as a material or finished product that has served its intended use and has been discarded for disposal or recovery having completed its life as a consumer item. This is a preferred fiber because it is used in the production of new products instead of being incinerated or sent to a landfill. Recovered office paper waste makes up the majority of post-consumer fiber content that is used to make recycled copy and printing papers.

Pre-consumer Fiber

Pre-consumer fiber materials have not been used and then recycled by a consumer (you and me). These materials include: paper and envelope trimmings, and de-inked pre-consumer material. Pulp fiber that is derived from the production of books, magazines, and newspapers is termed pre-consumer.

Processed Chlorine Free

"Processed Chlorine Free" (PCF) refers to recycled paper in which the recycled content is bleached without chlorine or chlorine derivatives. Typically, PCF papers are often bleached using Hydrogen Peroxide, Oxygen or Ozone. When paper pulp is bleached, the bleaching agent chlorine is combined with lignin to form toxic compounds known as dioxin and furans. These compounds bioaccumulate and are known to cause serious health problems in both animals and humans. Thus, papers that are processed without chlorine are the environmentally preferred choice.

Elemental Chlorine Free

"Elemental Chlorine Free" (ECF) applies to paper processed without elemental chlorine but with a chlorine derivative known as chlorine dioxide. ECF papers meet EPA regulations for bleaching, and chlorine is "non-detectable" by standard required government tests in the effluent of mills that use an ECF bleaching process. Despite these non-detectable levels, more sensitive tests show that small amounts of chlorine are present - making the ECF process not the environmentally preferable bleaching practice.

Totally Chlorine Free

"Totally Chlorine Free" (TCF) applies to virgin fiber papers that are unbleached or processed with a sequence that includes no chlorine or chlorine derivatives.

Alternative Fibers

There are many types of alternative fibers including: hemp, kenaf, cotton, and agricultural by-products such as cereal straws and corn stalks, which have previously been treated as a waste stream.