Paper made from stone instead of trees was developed 20 years ago, mainly for offset printing, but a new improved version makes it suitable for office and home use; this paper uses mainly stone powder, no trees or water are required and only a fraction of the energy invested in other paper manufacturing processes is needed for its production, thus drastically reducing CO2 emissions and eliminating poisonous chemicals.
As a result, the paper is cheaper to produce and is better for the environment than conventional paper products.
Stone paper is 80% calcium carbonate, a substance that is much more abundant than trees and is also a common by-product of carbon-consuming industrial processes. The other 20% is polyethylene.
Stone paper uses HDPE (high density polyethylene) plastic, the extreme efficiency of this minor component reduces the total fossil fuel consumption of paper production and completely eliminates wastewater and trees from paper production. The plastic component is actually the key to its extreme sustainability.
These two ingredients make the paper waterproof, non-toxic, tear-resistant, soft to the touch and bright white without any chemical bleach. The base material is photodegradable, which means it reverts back to calcium carbonate in 6 months under direct sunlight, is highly recyclable and is easier to remove ink than regular paper.
It can be mechanically recycled and incinerated without producing high emissions or ash. Incineration of stone paper leaves only calcium carbonate for later use in other industries.
Source:Pebble Printing Group, Nubeprint
