PAMSA
PAMSA
  • About PAMSA
    • Members
    • Executive Team
    • Operational Team
    • Partnerships & Associations
    • Fibre Circle
  • The Paper Story
    • The Economic Story
      • Production Statistics
      • Map of member operations
      • Fibre-based Products
    • The Sustainability Story
      • Climate Change
      • Energy
      • Water
    • The Recycling Story
      • Paper recycling in SA
      • Improving recycling through education
      • Design for Recycling
      • www.recyclepaper.co.za
    • The Education Story
      • Education & Training Support
      • Book Development
    • The Research Story
      • Blue Sky Young Researchers Innovation Awards 2020-2021
      • Masters of Engineering Bursary Programme
      • PRU Research Archive
  • Resources
    • COVID-19 information
    • News
    • Brochures & Publications
    • Videos
    • Infographic
    • Printables
    • eClassroom sponsored content
    • Members only
    • TAPPSA Archive
  • Contact Us

CONTACT US

PAPER MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA
Tel: +27 (0) 11 803 5063
Fax: +27 (0) 11 803 6708
Email: Info

PAMSA DOES NOT SELL, SUPPLY OR DISTRIBUTE PAPER PRODUCTS. PLEASE CONTACT OUR MEMBERS DIRECTLY FOR SUPPLY, QUOTATIONS OR SALES ENQUIRIES BY CLICKING HERE: Members

PHYSICAL ADDRESS:
Unit 4, Woodview Office Park
1 Humber Road
Woodmead, Sandton

POSTAL ADDRESS:
PO Box 1553
Rivonia 2128

PAMSA-StoryTeller
digital, emissions, Green Office Week, online, Paper, printing, Sir Nicholas Stern, Stern Review
Like 0 Thanks! You've already liked this
Latest News & Features

Don’t let corporate ignorance cause a paper jam

The Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA) is calling on businesses to change their attitude to paper during Green Office Week (22-26 April) by shredding the misconceptions they have about paper.

Day in, day out, we are faced with messages about the harm that paper does to our environment. More often than not, these messages can be found in two places: at the bottom of emails and from service providers informing you of their move from postal to electronic distribution of documents.

Keeping it on screen is not going green
“While the paper industry cannot swim against the digital tide and the convenience of receiving such documents electronically, the electronic distribution of information should not be touted as being more environmentally friendly than print,” says Jane Molony, PAMSA executive director.

In fact, reading a document on screen produces more carbon dioxide (CO2) than printing out the same document.  A printed document can be read over again without further emissions and can also be recycled, according to a 2006 study by Sir Nicholas Stern, head of the Government Economic Service in the United Kingdom.

The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change  tackled the effects of climate change and global warming on the world economy. Stern used his 700-page document to demonstrate how paper and print have a better environmental footprint than electronic communication.

  • Printing the Stern Review emits 85g of CO2 (one copy can be read over and over again without further emissions).
  • Reading it on a computer for one hour emits 226g of CO2 every time.
  • Burning the Stern Review to CD is estimated to emit 300g of CO2 for every copy
  • Burning it to DVD is estimated to emit 350g of CO2 for every copy

Further to this, in September last year the New York Times stated, “The [information] industry has long argued that computerising business transactions and everyday tasks like banking and reading library books has the net effect of saving energy and resources.”

Quoting Power, Pollution, and the Internet, the New York Times asserts that the energy consumption of massive data centres is ‘sharply at odds with its image of sleek efficiency and environmental friendliness’.

E-waste is the fastest growing component in the municipal stream
Greenpeace has identified electronic waste as the fastest growing component of the municipal waste steam”[i].

Hans Wegner, chief sustainability officer of the National Geographic Society notes, “We don’t know the environmental impact of saving a document on a server for ten years or more. And we have no idea of the impact of extracting finite resources to make electronic devices that cannot easily be recycled safely and practically.”

But what about all the trees that are killed to make paper?
Few people realise that all paper in South Africa is produced from plantation-grown trees, recycled paper or bagasse (sugar-cane fibre). Some 600 million trees across 762,000 hectares are specifically farmed for use in pulp and paper manufacturing, just as maize was planted for your cereal and wheat for your bread.

“Contrary to popular and often misinformed belief, the fibre used to make paper products is not sourced from the wood of rainforests, indigenous or common garden trees,” notes Molony.

As massive sinks for atmospheric carbon, forests mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by absorbing CO2 and releasing oxygen through the natural process of photosynthesis. South Africa’s timber plantations lock up 900 million tons a year of CO2, which is a massive environmental service and a key means of mitigating climate change[ii].

If it were not for the pulp and paper industry operating world-wide for the last 150 years the CO2 levels in the atmosphere would be 5% higher (about 0.5 degree) than they are at present[iii].

Over 80% of South African plantations are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), ranking it as the highest level of international certification in the world.  FSC’s Chain of Custody tracks certified material through the production process – from the forest to the consumer, including all successive stages of processing, transformation, manufacturing and distribution.

Please consider the environment before NOT printing this
“While PAMSA certainly does not advocate wasteful printing, we ask that paper and printing, and the environment, be treated with respect.”

PAMSA’s Green Office Week Tips

  • Buy locally manufactured paper that is FSC-certified. This way you can be assured that the paper is produced from sustainably managed plantations.
  • Recycle your paper, keeping it dry and away from other waste and have it collected regularly. Visit www.mywaste.co.za
  • Be responsible with your electronic waste. Do your research and find reputable e-waste recycling companies that you know will handle your old computers and printers with the environment in mind.

[i] Greenpeace, The E-waste Problem 2009

[ii] Forestry South Africa, 2011

[iii] Special Report No 07-02, February 2007. The greenhouse gas and carbon profile of the global forest products industry. NCASI (National Council for Air and Stream Improvement) 

US senate to reconsider the elimination of paper based communication A Troubling Sign for Tablet Magazines?
Latest News & Features

Paper industry responds to Covid-19 with agility and compassion

recycled paper
Latest News & Features

Five reasons why paper rocks

9771
Latest News & Features

Wow, can wood really make that?

Recent News

  • Paper industry responds to Covid-19 with agility and compassion
  • Five reasons why paper rocks

Facts & Resources

Subscribe to our newsletter
Production statistics
Infographic
Publications
Videos
Printables

Latest Tweets

Tweets by paperrocksza

Instagram

paperrocksza

Paper Assoc. of South Africa
It's #InternationalFlowerDay. Who doesn't love flo It's #InternationalFlowerDay. Who doesn't love flowers? 

Brighten someone's day by sharing one of these images or tagging them in the comments.
From us to you, we wish you a blessed break howeve From us to you, we wish you a blessed break however you will be celebrating. Be safe. Thank you for your support in 2020. See you on the flip side.
It's #WorldToiletDay. Next time you flush, give th It's #WorldToiletDay. Next time you flush, give thanks. Some 4.2 billion people are currently living without access to safely managed sanitation. While you're at it, give thanks for #toiletpaper too.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
www.worldtoiletday.info⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#sanitation #water #health #humanrights #toilets #toilet
Hands up who has a pile of books this high next to Hands up who has a pile of books this high next to their bed?  What's at the top?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#reading #bookquotes #bookday #writerswrite #readmore #bookclub #thepaperstory #readersread #instabook #authors #bedsidebooks #lovebooks #paperbooks #realbooks #print #printisalive #library⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Photo by @devinlesterstudios
It's Friday. Remember, now is not the time for wil It's Friday. Remember, now is not the time for wild rumpus. Wear your mask. Keep your distance. Wash those hands! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#weekend #reading #bookquotes #bookday #writerswrite #readmore #bookclub #thepaperstory #readersread #instabook #authors #mauricesendak #literature #lovebooks #wearyourmask
“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re b “Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A.A. Milne⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Here's wishing the Matric Class of 2020 all the best as they write their exams around the country. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#learning #exams #classof2020 #thepaperstory
What are we reading and drinking today? #sundayvib What are we reading and drinking today? #sundayvibes #reading #tea #coffee #rainyday #rainysunday #books

Image by @devinlesterstudios
The humble #egg carton was invented in 1911 by new The humble #egg carton was invented in 1911 by newspaper editor Joseph Coyle of Smithers, British Columbia, Canada, to solve a dispute between a local farmer and hotel owner in Aldermere, near present-day Telkwa, over the farmer's eggs' often being delivered broken. 🥚

#thepaperstory
#history 
#paperhistory 
#eggs
#eggcarton
“The earth laughs in flowers.” ― Ralph Wald “The earth laughs in flowers.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

#thursdaymotivation #thepaperstory #eggboxcrafts #papercrafting #papercrafts #paper #recycledpaper
When we begin to see plantation forests as tree fa When we begin to see plantation forests as tree farms or crops, we can appreciate the products, economic and environmental service they provide. Sustainable forestry ensures that the renewable resource of wood is produced responsibly. 

Watch our video. Link in bio. 

#forestry
#farming
#sustainablefarming
#paper
#thepaperstory 
#wood
#workingforests 
#cellulose
#environment
#timber
#carbon 
#carbonstorage 
#carbonsequestration 
#climatechange
Wood. There is no rival. What other material encou Wood. There is no rival. What other material encourages sustainable forestry, #tree planting and #carbon storage? 

#wood
#pulp
#paper 
#sustainableforestry 
#sustainability 
#forestry 
#forestryexplained 
#thepaperstory
What's your favourite #magazine title? Do you have What's your favourite #magazine title? Do you have volumes of them stashed away? 

#print #magazines #printing #publishing #thepaperstory #paper
It’s #internationalprintday. Did you know that w It’s #internationalprintday. Did you know that we are printing less and this has unintended consequences on the economy and the environment? Link in bio. 

#print #paper #sustainable #printisnotdead #paperisgreater #paperisgreen #environment #earth #economy #ipd20
Do you feel guilty about printing? You shouldn't. Do you feel guilty about printing? You shouldn't. 

By using South African produced paper, you can be assured that it comes from sustainably farmed trees. The trees used to make this paper have been replaced by new trees. And always recycle your paper. It is used to make tissue and packaging products!

#paper #print #officepaper #printing #fsc #sustainable #buylocal #supportlocalbusiness #whitepaper #thepaperstory #recycle
Moulded paper fibre keeps eggs cushioned, coffee f Moulded paper fibre keeps eggs cushioned, coffee from spilling over and electronic goods protected. These packaging products are made from recycled fibre so keep them in the recycling loop by keep your paper and boxes clean, dry and separate! ♻️

(Some collectors might not take these items for recycling but you can use these in compost, for planting seeds and for paper crafts.)

#packaging #packagingprotects #paperpackaging #paper #mouldedfibrepackaging #eggs #electonics #coffee #thepaperstory #recycleyourpaper
What are we reading today? Paper books still rule, What are we reading today? Paper books still rule, don't you think? 

#paper #paperbooks #reading #book #booklove #paperlove #judgeabookbyitscover #literature #readingaddict
What are we baking this weekend? Whatever it is, t What are we baking this weekend? Whatever it is, think about how paper is part of your kitchen. It will be paper made from recycled fibre or from the wood of sustainably farmed trees. Now that's guilt-free baking! 

#baking #packaging #foodpackaging #recycledmaterials #recycle #recycleplease #paper #thepaperstory
🧻 Did you know that South African toilet paper 🧻 Did you know that South African toilet paper manufacturers make use of recycled office paper in many of their tissue recipes? 📄 Recycled white paper is a valuable grade for collectors so think before you throw. Keep it clean, dry and separate from other waste and recyclables. 

#tissue #toiletpaper #recycle #officepaper #paper #print #recyclethatpaper #thepaperstory
For the South African pulp and paper sector, respo For the South African pulp and paper sector, responsibly sourced woodfibre is a non-negotiable. 

This is why “Forests for All Together” - @fsc_international’s theme for this year’s #fscfriday - means so much. 

As a sector we are celebrating the importance of bringing people together to responsibly care for forests – from environmentalists to big business, from Indigenous Peoples to communities and governments, from forest workers to careful consumers, it is essential that we work together to care for our forests. 

Buy locally produced paper as far as possible and check the source. 

#forestryfriday #forestrylife #paper #pulp #fsc #sustainableforestry #environment
Are you a copy paper hoarder? Paper is a highly re Are you a copy paper hoarder? Paper is a highly recyclable product and helps the sector make new paper products that you use everyday: tissue and paper packaging. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#NationalRecyclingDay #sustainablepackaging #recyclablepackaging #paperpackaging #paper #recycle #pulp #earthkind #sustainability #reducewaste #woodfibre #circulareconomy #environment
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Facebook

Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa
© PAMSA 2021
Site designed by IMS