ABOUT TREE-FREE PAPER


High quality paper can be made from a wide range of resources.

One such variety, is the paper used by Tree-Free Greetings® in their range of paper products. This environmentally friendly paper is made from sustainably farmed kenaf, bamboo, sugar cane, hemp, flax and a high degree of post-consumer recycled paper.

Kenaf


  • Kenaf is used by Tree-Free Greetings® in their products whenever supplies allow.
  • Kenaf is a 4,000 year old crop with roots in Ancient Africa. The fibre is related to Hibiscus and is a cousin to cotton and okra.
  • Currently grown in the Southern US, Kenaf rises to heights of 12-14 feet in less than 6 months.
  • The USDA chose kenaf from over 500 plants to replace trees in the production of paper (Source: Tree-Free Greetings, 2007).

Sugar Cane

  • Sugar cane bagasse is another type of fibre used by Tree-Free Greetings® in their paper.
  • Sugar cane bagasse is a waste product of the sugar refining industry - it is the fibrous material remaining in the sugar cane after the sugar is removed.
  • This waste product can be used as paper pulp, preventing a valuable resource from going into landfill (one tonne of refined sugar results in two tonnes of bagasse waste (Source: Tree-Free Greetings)) - so there is tremendous benefit in utilising this resource.
  • Another benefit of Bagasse is that it requires less energy and bleaching chemicals to make it into paper. Tree-Free Greetings® decolours the fibres with sodium hypochlorite - a complex compound that does not result in the production of the toxic by-product, dioxin (as produced with other bleaching processes).

Bamboo Paper

  • The bamboo fibre used in Tree-Free’s paper is farm-grown specifically for manufacturing purposes under environmentally responsible conditions. Bamboo is known to be one of the fastest growing, renewable crops available.

Benefits of Tree-Free Paper:
  • Saves animal habitats as it does not require any additional trees to be cut down.
  • Helps to keep our air and water clean as it is free from chlorine and other harmful chemicals.
  • Requires less energy to manufacture than regular paper.