Thermguard and Paper
Paper is part of every facet of our lives and has a good environmental and economic story to tell.
DID YOU KNOW?
If it were not for the pulp and paper industry operating worldwide for the last 150 years, CO2 levels in the atmosphere would be 5% higher (about half a degree in Celsius) than they are at present. (National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Special Report No 07-02. The greenhouse gas and carbon profile of the global forest products industry).
The trees that are used to make paper generally do not need fertiliser; nor do they require irrigation. Plantation trees get their water from the ground and from rainfall, and most of the water used in paper manufacturing is recovered, recycled and re-used in the process.
Even though some of our paper industry members have global footprints, their origins are firmly rooted in our country, as forest and landowners and producers of renewable and recyclable products. The industry has recorded a 10% rise in employment, with pulp and paper accounting for slightly more new jobs than the recycling sectors. In terms of recycling, we can expect growing employment numbers to be sustained as a direct result of increased recycling rates. Global reports are also showing a rejuvenation in printed paper books as the e-book market appears to have plateaued.
In 2015, 66.7% of recoverable paper was collected for recycling. (Recoverable paper refers to paper products that are efficiently recycled and excludes archived documents and books, tissue products, wax-coated and laminated paper as well as wet or contaminated paper.) This percentage equates to more than 1.2 million tonnes of paper – a volume equivalent to 3.6 million cubic metres of landfill space. For the past few years, South Africa has been trending upwards towards a goal of 70% by 2020.
Promoting the concept of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’: the industry encourages the minimisation of waste, as well as the reuse and recycling of its products.
Thermguard’s motto is RECYCLED FOR YOUR FUTURE.
Thermguard Cellulose Fibre Insulation consists of more than 80% RECYCLED newspaper which means old newspaper is being REUSED and therefore REDUCES landfill space, which in turn minimizes greenhouse gases as well as the associated carbon footprint of a well-insulated home which requires less energy to heat and cool.