CHICAGO (April 19, 2016) – Two Sides North America will celebrate Earth Day (April 22, 2016) with the release of an engaging new infographic that illustrates key facts about How Paper is Made.

Designed to bust myths about paper production, and about other forest products, the new infographic reveals that in North America less than 36% of the annual timber harvest is directly used for paper and paperboard. In fact, most trees are harvested to make lumber and other solid wood products essential for construction, such as building homes and furniture.

The infographic spotlights other key facts about paper, recycling, and other forest products, including:

• • Every year, North America grows many more trees than are harvested.
• • Paper is one of the most recycled products in the world with recovery rates of 65% and higher in North America.
• • About 35% of our paper products use recovered fiber as a raw material. Other key raw materials are sawmill residuals leftover from lumber manufacturing.
• • Forest products, such as paper, are based on a highly renewable and natural raw material – wood from sustainably managed North American forests.

“North American forests can provide recreational, environmental and economic benefits. They are a very valuable renewable resource that can be managed responsibly to make hundreds of products with sustainable qualities, such as being highly recyclable,” says Phil Riebel, President of Two Sides North America. “Much of the raw material used in papermaking comes from recovered paper and residuals from the lumber industry – but wood is essential because paper can only be recycled 5 to 7 times before the fibers break down and become unusable.”

Two Sides’ new infographic can be downloaded here. Download and share! The infographic is also available for co-branding by Two Sides Members, who may contact us for details.

About Two Sides

Two Sides is an independent, non-profit organization created to promote the responsible production, use and sustainability of print and paper. Two Sides is active globally in North America, Europe, Australia, South Africa, Brazil and Colombia. Our members span the entire print and paper value chain, including forestry, pulp, paper, inks and chemicals, pre-press, press, finishing, publishing, printing, envelopes and postal operators.