Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Raw materials are scarce. PaperWise believes that we must handle raw materials more intelligently. Why use primary raw materials for products when sufficient secondary raw materials—residual materials—are available? Nature knows no waste. That is our inspiration. Waste is useful in a new application. In this case, as a raw material for high-quality, sustainable paper. PaperWise gives agricultural waste a second life. Leaves and stems remaining after the harvest are processed into raw material for high-quality paper and paperboard.
PaperWise hopes that in a few years, school children will spontaneously answer the question ‘What is paper made of?’ with: ‘From agricultural waste such as leaves and stems.’
PaperWise is committed to maximizing the share of agricultural waste used as a raw material for paper and paperboard. We do this together with producers, certification bodies, politicians, environmental organizations, customers, and everyone who wants to contribute to a better, sustainable world.
PaperWise wants to inspire people and organizations to take action for a sustainable society. We do this with paper made from agricultural residual material, also known as agricultural waste. Nature knows no waste; that is our inspiration. Together, we can give value to agricultural residual material by turning it into paper. Sustainability is embedded in our name. PaperWise: Wise with waste.
PaperWise believes it is important that we handle paper use carefully and consciously. Wherever possible, we strive to reduce consumption. PaperWise also wants to inspire everyone to handle residual streams more intelligently. Nature knows no waste; that is our inspiration. Together, we can give value to agricultural residual material by turning it into paper. Sustainability is embedded in our name. PaperWise: “Wise With Waste”.
Agricultural waste, or agricultural residual material, includes all parts of the plant that are released during the processing of agricultural crops such as rice, grain, corn, and sugarcane and are not suitable for human consumption, such as stems and leaves. This accounts for no less than approximately 80% of the harvest. The food industry uses only a small portion of the agricultural crop—usually only the seeds, fruits, roots, and juices, which is about 20% of the plant. Because the vast majority of the plant has no value for the food industry, we call this agricultural waste or agricultural residual material. But for PaperWise, it is anything but waste. We use it as a raw material for high-quality paper and paperboard.
The four most cultivated agricultural crops worldwide are rice, grain, corn, and sugarcane. These crops have a total weight of more than 16,500 billion kilograms per year. Approximately 80% of that weight can be classified as agricultural waste and becomes available annually.
Some of our paper and paperboard types are already made from 100% agricultural waste. The share of agricultural waste varies per type of paper and paperboard because PaperWise must meet many quality standards. PaperWise Natural already consists of 100% agricultural waste. For paper types that do not yet consist of 100% agricultural waste, trees from sustainably managed FSC or PEFC certified forests are used for the remaining portion. We will continue to innovate until all our paper products are made from 100% agricultural waste.
This happens more or less out of habit… It has developed historically this way. Trees contain cellulose, the raw material for paper. In Europe, this raw material is amply available.
This depends on the tree species. Most species in Europe have a growth period of between 25 and 40 years. Conifers take between 70-80 years, birches 35-40 years, and eucalyptus between 12-15 years. By comparison: agricultural land yields at least one harvest per year: agricultural waste becomes available annually.
Agricultural waste offers many advantages:
1. These residual materials are released annually.
2. Material that would otherwise be processed as waste is now given the highest value: it forms the raw material for paper that can be recycled up to 7 times.
3. By using agricultural waste, fewer trees need to be cut down.
4. Processing agricultural waste into paper has a lower environmental impact than processing wood fibers as a raw material.
5. The cellulose raw material yield per hectare of agricultural crop is approximately 1.5 times higher than from a hectare of forest.
6. Only one piece of agricultural land is needed for two products: food and the raw material for paper.
7. Only one plant is needed for those two products: food and the raw material for paper.
In short: Compared to FSC paper made from wood fibers, PaperWise offers 100% quality for approximately 50% of the environmental impact. For every 5 boxes of A4 copy paper or printing paper, you save an average of one tree. For every 400 boxes, one hectare of forest.
PaperWise is high-quality paper and paperboard that is excellently suited for recycling, up to 7 times. The paper and paperboard may be mixed with other paper types.
PaperWise is paper and paperboard of excellent quality, suitable for printing in color and black and white. The paper and folding board are multifunctional and can be used on all printers, faxes, copiers, and high-speed printing presses, die-cutting, and gluing machines. PaperWise can be provided with coatings according to customer specifications. PaperWise is available as graphic paper, wood-free, white, and as folding board in a natural color. PaperWise continues to improve its qualities and expand its ranges.
PaperWise is unique because the paper and paperboard are made from agricultural waste. 100% green energy is used for production. Agricultural waste is a residual product of the food industry: it consists of the leaves and stems that remain after food has been removed from the harvest. PaperWise gives residual streams from another industry a valuable application by turning them into high-quality paper. Processing agricultural waste into raw material for paper has a lower environmental impact than using trees. Green energy reduces CO2 emissions and the use of fossil fuels.
PaperWise is available in the webshop and through your supplier. We are continuously working to expand the PaperWise distribution network. Does your supplier not yet have PaperWise in their range? Or are you a wholesaler interested in distributing PaperWise? Please contact us to discuss the possibilities together.
Yes, within the factory gates, all energy for PaperWise is 100% green energy and therefore CO2 neutral.
PaperWise is made from agricultural waste and with green energy. This offers many advantages:
1. Agricultural waste is released annually.
2. Material that would otherwise be processed as waste (usually burned) is now given value: it forms the raw material for paper.
3. By using agricultural waste, fewer trees need to be cut down.
4. Processing agricultural waste into paper has a lower environmental impact than extracting
the raw material cellulose from trees.
5. Green energy reduces the depletion of fossil fuels and reduces CO2 emissions.
6. The cellulose raw material yield per hectare of agricultural crop is approximately 1.5 times higher than from a hectare of forest.
7. Only one piece of agricultural land is needed for two products: food and the raw material for paper.
8. Only one plant is needed for those two products: food and the raw material for paper.
In short: compared to FSC paper made from wood fibers, PaperWise offers 100% quality for approximately 50% of the environmental impact. For every 5 boxes of A4 copy or printing paper, you save an average of one tree. For every 400 boxes, one hectare of forest.
PaperWise is made from agricultural waste using green energy. This is a clean raw material that does not need to be purified first, unlike recycled paper. Furthermore, agricultural waste releases substances that are suitable for generating green energy. Environmental research shows that PaperWise has a 29% lower environmental impact than recycled paper. PaperWise supports recycled paper, as it is also a good example of reusing residual streams. PaperWise is excellently suited for recycling.
PaperWise is made from agricultural waste, with green energy. This residual product is available in abundance every year. Residues that would otherwise be disposed of as waste are now given a new purpose. It is a secondary raw material. Bamboo and miscanthus (elephant grass), on the other hand, are specifically grown to make paper. They are primary raw materials. Bamboo and miscanthus (elephant grass) have become popular because their growth time is faster than that of trees, but not faster than that of agricultural crops.
This is related to the demand for paper, global population growth, and the technical innovation required to produce high-quality paper and paperboard from agricultural residual material today. A hundred years ago, paper and paperboard were also made from agricultural residual material, but due to quality aspects, the paper industry switched to wood fibers as a raw material at that time. PaperWise makes it possible to use agricultural waste again as the most logical raw material for paper and paperboard. We call this Wise With Waste.
In Europe, we consume about 77.4 billion kilograms of paper and paperboard annually (source: CEPI). To transport this, more than 5 million trucks are needed each year.
The price depends on the order volume. The webshop provides a clear view of your advantage with a larger order volume. Multi-year contracts for companies provide additional purchasing benefits. Please contact us to make an appointment.
PaperWise is made from agricultural waste, stems, and leaves that remain after the harvest. This makes cutting down trees unnecessary. The FSC and PEFC labels stand for sustainable forest management, and cutting down trees is a part of that. Anyone who wants to contribute to preventing deforestation can choose PaperWise paper and paperboard. With PaperWise, two products (food and the raw material for PaperWise) are obtained from one plant and the same piece of land, and furthermore, the waste streams become available annually. This is super efficient and logical use of land area.
There is currently no regulation or certification for paper and paperboard based on agricultural waste, which means that some existing certifications are not possible for PaperWise. Therefore, we offer users of PaperWise paper and paperboard the opportunity to communicate about sustainability and their conscious choice using texts and PaperWise logos that are available for free.
Lignin, also known as black liquor, is removed from the agricultural waste. Then the fiber is made white using ECF (Elemental Chlorine Free) technology. This is why PaperWise has such a beautiful white appearance. Lignin turns yellow-brown due to daylight. It is a binding substance in trees and plants that, together with cellulose, provides strength to the crop. The paper industry calls paper without lignin wood-free paper. The lignin is reused to generate green energy.
PaperWise can be divided into 2 paper and paperboard types: PaperWise Natural and PaperWise White. All paper and paperboard in the PaperWise Natural group is unbleached and therefore has a light brown, natural tint. PaperWise White is bleached with ECF (elemental chlorine free) and therefore has a white color.
PaperWise is made in paper mills in Asia and South America where many agricultural crops such as rice, grain, jute, hemp, and sugarcane are grown and processed. The factories are located in the middle of the area where the agricultural crops are grown, thus preventing unnecessary transport kilometers. The factories are of great significance to the local communities there. Investments are made in education, infrastructure, and healthcare, and the manufacturing process is focused on safety, zero waste, and ecological preservation.
Working conditions are modern and meet European standards for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). PaperWise monitors this together with independent parties. The paper machines are mostly of European manufacture. Advanced automation and mechanization exclude heavy labor or child labor. Employees are free to join a trade union.
PaperWise is made in factories in Asia and South America where many agricultural crops are grown and processed. The factories are located in the middle of the area where the agricultural crops are grown, thus preventing unnecessary transport kilometers. The European distribution center of PaperWise is located in the Netherlands. Transport takes place using container ships with an A or B energy label. Environmental research shows that 1,000 kilometers of sea transport has the same environmental impact as 51 kilometers of truck transport, if the load consists of paper or paperboard. PaperWise continues to closely monitor the environmental impact of transport and further reduce it where possible. Upon request, the CO2 emissions from transport can be compensated.
PaperWise does not compete with food because the paper and paperboard are made from the waste of the harvest, not from the edible parts of the harvest. First, the nutrients are extracted from the plant. Then the remaining part of the plant is used as raw material for PaperWise.
PaperWise is produced in factories in Asia and South America that are of great significance to the local communities there. Investments are made in education, infrastructure, and healthcare, and the manufacturing process is focused on safety, zero waste, and ecological preservation.
Paper mills in Europe generally use trees or waste paper as raw material. Fortunately, the trees mostly come from responsible forests, FSC or PEFC certified. Trees are amply available in Europe. Large paper manufacturers are in many cases also owners of forestry companies, which makes it economically difficult to use a raw material other than trees. PaperWise is made in factories in Asia and South America that are fully specialized in processing agricultural waste as a raw material into high-quality paper and paperboard. The factories are located in the middle of the area where the agricultural crops are grown, thus preventing unnecessary transport kilometers. The paper mills are of great significance to the local communities there. Investments are made in education, infrastructure, and healthcare, and the manufacturing process is focused on safety, zero waste, and ecological preservation.
PaperWise understands Corporate Social Responsibility as the organization continuously maintaining the right balance between social and environmental responsibility with the aim of ensuring the continuity of the organization. Guidelines such as OECD, SA8000, ILO declaration, ISO14001, OHSAS 18001, and ISO 26000 form the basis for our choices and strategy. Nature is our source of inspiration.
PaperWise is ISO 9706 certified, the international archiving standard for permanent paper. Suitable for archiving up to 100 years. The standard describes the lifespan criteria for wood-free paper in terms of strength, acidity, and aging substances. The ISO 9706 standard is often requested by government bodies regarding archive legislation.
PaperWise packs its paper and paperboard with care for the protection of the product and the environment. Specifically, this means that wherever possible, PaperWise uses its own paper types as packaging material. Corrugated board used as packaging material is made from recycled paper. We are making our packaging increasingly thinner. Some packaging is provided with a coating. This is done to keep PaperWise in excellent condition and protect it against moisture. PaperWise packaging can be disposed of with waste paper and is recyclable.
PaperWise has nothing to do with genetic modification. In countries where agricultural waste for PaperWise becomes available, genetic modification (GMO) for the relevant crops is not permitted.
The most important raw material in paper and paperboard is cellulose, which provides strength to the paper. In addition to cellulose, grass paper and grass board also contain a small portion of grass fibers (on average 5% to 30%). These are grass surpluses that would otherwise be burned. Grass is not cellulose and does not contribute to the strength of paper and paperboard. Like conventional paper, PaperWise is made on the basis of cellulose and is therefore strong and of high quality. However, the cellulose in PaperWise comes from agricultural waste (not trees)! After harvesting food crops (such as rice, wheat, barley, hemp, sugarcane, etc.), farmers in developing countries are left with 80% of the plant in the form of stems and leaves (agricultural waste). Part of this agricultural waste is plowed under, but the vast majority has no value and is burned in the open air. With PaperWise, you put a stop to the waste of valuable raw materials and environmental pollution.
Read the full story about grass paper in our blog.
Yes. PaperWise contributes to a better world. In line with its vision, PaperWise has had a donation policy since 2022. PaperWise annually donates between 3% and 5% of net profit (after taxes) to projects in the regions where PaperWise is produced. This initiative makes a positive contribution to one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Read more about our donation policy here.
PaperWise is certified for industrial composting EN 13432, home composting DIN CERTCO, food safety EC 1935/2004, and recycling. PaperWise is also a certified B Corp™ (sustainability certification).
If your question is not listed, click here and ask your question