ELMWOOD PARK, NJ – "We Save Trees" is the motto emblazoned on a pin attached to the shirt of Marcal Paper Mills’ CEO Tim Spring. Spring stands firmly behind the statement.
When Spring speaks about his company’s mission to save a million trees, the enthusiasm mixed with compassion for the cause is evident by his facial expressions. The company has been ahead of the trend with the green revolution since 1950 by using environmentally-friendly materials and manufacturing techniques.
Towering stacks of what may be considering another man’s junk, are a treasure to Marcal, and are eventually turned into products. These piles include clean office waste from blue recycling bins, curbside residential paper, printer paper, magazines, newspaper and even undeliverable junk mail. These various forms of recycled paper are transformed into bath tissue, paper towels, facial tissues and paper napkins.
The company rolled out their Small Steps line in 2009, describing their initiative as a focus on the company’s legacy of using 100 percent recycled materials, which in turn has saved forests and reduced waste in landfills for nearly 60 years. Marcal pledges they will continue to take earth-saving measures, small steps at a time. "Small steps can add up quickly and if we get people thinking paper and buying recycled products, it’s a big battle to win now in the U.S.," said Spring.
As it turns out, only 2 percent of paper products in the United States are produced from recycled paper and the other 98 percent from virgin materials (the European paper industry uses 25 percent recycled material and Canada 40 percent). "Paper products are something every household uses everyday. Where could be a better place to start than from there?" Spring asks.
Marcal was recently awarded the first corporate citizen award by the Reeves-Reed Arboretum in Summit for their commitment to environmental stewardship. The company has also received recognition from the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) as one of the "Green Apples" of the New York City Area. They were bestowed the award as a national leader in the paper industry, as well as at the local level for their sustainability efforts in the collection of 200,000 annual tons of recycled paper from New York and New Jersey, and for providing 800 green jobs for area residents.
The company takes their commitment to green so seriously even their business cards are printed on recycled Small Steps brand tissue boxes. Marcal’s operation process was spotlighted on an exclusive tour for The Alternative Press of their facility, led by Spring and Senior Vice President/Marketing, MJ Jolda.
Jolda spearheaded the relaunching of the Small Steps name and product purpose. The goal is to generate items made of 100 percent recyclable material, while reshaping the consumer mindset of the importance of recycled disposable paper. Buyers are educated on their personal positive environmental impact by making the switch. In addition to the products giving the environment a break by reusing materials, Marcal’s products are free of chlorine bleach, are hypoallergenic and mainly lint free. Recycled materials also break down easier than their virgin pulp counterparts and are, in turn, safer for plumbing, septic systems and the environment.
Step by step, Spring and Jolda described the start to finish manufacturing process, beginning with the raw material. Spring grasped a handful of recycled paper. "The tree killers did the hard work," he said, sifting through the paper. "At the center of any paper is clean white fiber. In their process, they bleached the paper already. All we do is grind it up with water and the bad stuff floats to the top or sinks."
Paper fibers are fed into a vat resembling an oversized mixer, which combines with water for the cleaning process. Spring reiterates that the biggest chemical used to clean the paper is water, which does all the work. Even water is conserved in the process. He said it is drawn from the Passaic River and used several times during the cleansing process. Marcal cleans the water and then returns it to the City of Paterson, making it drinkable again.
One of the subsequent steps shown on the tour is the actual paper making process. Paper is loaded onto mammoth sized "parent rolls". The rolls are later transferred to smaller log sized rolls, and cut down into consumer-sized products. If a parent roll is deemed imperfect from the manufacturing process, it is returned to the cleaning vat and returns to the cycle. Additionally, the industrial cores of the parent rolls are reused until they fail. At that stage, they are returned to their manufacturer to be recycled, and created into new industrial cores. In the final steps, product bundles are stacked onto pallets and loaded onto trucks for shipping.
Spring breaks down the per truck impact even further: one truckload of product represents 200 trees saved. "If every American Household switched to 1 roll of recyclable paper next week, one million trees would be saved," Spring stated.
The vision of the greater impact on the environment is what Spring says separates Marcal from its competitors. Marcal fervently supports an EPA Plan presented to Congress to replant 18 million acres of trees. The company has also spoken out in favor of HR 2967, a bill initiated by sponsoring U.S. Representative Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ). The bill, in which 26 environmental groups have also aligned in favor of, is an amendment of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
The code allows tax credit for alternative fossil fuels, including black liquor. The bill, which would disallow the credit for the use of black liquor, is currently being reviewed by the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Black liquor derives from the process in which paper mills convert wood into pulp. Paper mills extract the black liquor and use it as an energy source for their facilities and pulp processing. The 2005 Highway Bill has counted black liquor as an alternative fuel source.
Companies such as International Paper and Weyerhauser have sought tax credits for their use of black liquor. In March 2009, International Paper received a $71.6 million credit from the IRS.
Kirkpatrick has said these subsidies have harmed the recycled paper industry and is costing taxpayers billions. Spring has argued paper manufacturers tapping into the black liquor credit are being fiscally awarded for destroying forests and increasing greenhouse gases by devastating these forests plus polluting the environment with their inefficient manufacturing practices.
Overall, both Spring and Jolda criticized the tactics of some other well-known paper manufacturers. "Wood companies live by killing trees," Jolda said. A few of their industrial adversaries have jumped on the green bandwagon, promoting their products and manufacturing as green, when Spring and Jolda say that they truly are not. "There are unethical marketers out there who are exploiting consumers," said Spring. He adds, "Some are clear cutting the Boreal Forest with over 200 year old trees. They are clear cutting habitats. The bulk of paper comes from old growth forests when Thomas Jefferson was President." Spring continues, "My hope is that kind of activity will not stand the test of widespread interest."
It appears the widespread interest Spring is looking for has already taken place. The NRDC is lauding companies like Marcal for utilizing recycled paper for disposable paper products. However, they are encouraging the public to raise their voices against companies which draw on fresh cut trees for their content rather than post-consumer paper.
Manufacturers utilizing virgin fibers have said their choice is based on consumer demand for paper softness, which they claim derives from fresh tree pulp. The NRDC has specifically cited Kimberly-Clark on their website, urging consumers to write to Kimberly-Clark to increase their uses of post-consumer paper in their product. According to the NRDC, most of Kimberly-Clark’s products do not contain any post-consumer paper. Kimberly-Clark is the manufacturer of Kleenex, Scott, Viva and Cottonelle products. "What this effectively means is that trees are being used to manufacture products that are used for a few seconds only once and then thrown away (often down the toilet)," proclaims the NRDC on their website.
The NRDC refers to the practices of the companies razing forests for their goods as "environmentally destructive." Trees are important not only for aesthetics but for health of the planet. Forests provide habitat for animals and also lessen the impact of global warming. Statistics from AmeriFlow Recycling Inc. state that every 17 trees saved will soak up 250 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Bombay Natural History Society indicate one tree contributes 260 pounds of oxygen annually and two adult trees will supply a family of four with oxygen each year.
The actual annihilation of the forests and manufacturing of paper from virgin fibers have a negative impact on the environment as well. According to Nature Canada, one pound of paper manufactured from three and a half pounds of wood in turn yields three pounds of carbon dioxide. Humboldt University in California cites the environmental and economic benefits of recycled products versus products made of virgin fiber. The manufacturing of goods from non-recycled paper necessitates more electricity and water than to generate products from recovered material.
Economically, the United States Environmental Protection Agency praises recycling as better for our nation’s pocketbook. By reusing materials we are giving an object a second life, which in turn saves money and raw materials and in the long run, the environment.
However, does the cost of green living impact the financial environment of the consumer? The end result is not only kinder to the environment but also to shoppers’ wallets. A Consumer Reports Study in June 2009 comparing toilet paper made of recycled material rated Marcal’s Small Steps as an excellent value in its category. Small Steps cost 8 cents per 100 sheets. Seventh Generation brand, also of 100 percent recycled content, ranked similarly to Small Steps in their tests, but it priced much steeper at 21 cents per 100 sheets. Charmin Ultra, which contains no post-consumer material, costs the consumer 35 cents per 100 sheets.
Spring said Marcal’s products are currently available in 50 percent of the country. He advises consumers who are seeking Marcal Products if the Small Steps product line is not available in their store, to speak with their store manager who can in turn contact Marcal. "Consumers need to be comfortable with what’s on a store shelf," said Spring. "Most store managers are delighted to be accommodating." "And," Spring added, "Most stores want to be green too."
For more information about Marcal, see their website: http://www.marcalsmallsteps.com/.