It may just be a case of Woody by name, Woody by nature, but actor/environmental activist Woody Harrelson’s push to come up with more eco-friendly paper gained further traction this month thanks to a new report.
Prairie Pulp & Paper, the Winnipeg paper company he co-founded 14 years ago with environmental entrepreneur Jeff Goldman, uses half the energy to make its straw paper that paper made from 100% virgin wood uses, according to a new lifecycle environmental impact study.
The report, conducted by carbon management company Offsetters and released this month, also found that making straw paper emits at least 40% less greenhouse gases – only 100% recycled paper came close to matching straw paper’s small environmental impact.
This caps a successful year for the company, which managed to get its Step Forward Paper – a blend of 80% wheat straw and 20% FSC-certified sustainable wood – stocked in Staples stores.
To date, the company has produced 40 million sheets of Step Forward Paper using a pulp and paper mill in India; it’s goal is to build a Manitoba production plant in the next five years that uses locally sourced materials to produce paper that is 95% wheat straw and 5% flax.
