Printed products have been unfairly demonised in the past for not being environmentally friendly when, in effect, paper is inherently sustainable, especially when responsibly sourced. As such, we follow with interest the Two Sides Anti-Greenwash campaign, a movement set up to challenge misleading environmental claims about paper production. Since 2010, the Two Sides campaign has changed or removed misleading environmental claims from over 500 organisations, including many of the world’s largest corporations.
2019 was the busiest year to date for Two Sides’ Anti-greenwash campaign. Globally, 388 organisations were found to be using unsubstantiated claims about print-and-paper’s impact on the environment.
For example in ongoing efforts to cut costs many banks, telecom providers, utility companies and even governmental organisations are encouraging their customers to switch to digital services by using unfounded environmental claims such as “Go Green – Go Paperless” and “Choose e-billing and help save a tree”.
Jonathan Tame, of the Two Sides global team, says, “Not only are these claims in breach of advertising rules, but they are hugely damaging to an industry which has a solid and continually improving environmental record. Far from ‘saving trees’, a healthy market for forest products such as paper encourages the long-term growth of forests through sustainable forest management. Many of the organisations we engage with are always surprised to learn than European forests have actually been growing by 1,500 football pitches every day.”
The choice isn't paper or the environment, the choice is whichever solution works best for you and your school or business. At SG World, we're proud to offer both.