Inspiring the paper industry to move toward sustainability is the mission of New Leaf Paper -- Business Ethics Magazine’s winner of the 2005 environmental excellence award.
For their Canadian run of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, New Leaf Paper used their innovative EcoBook 100 paper, a paper made from 100 percent post-consumer waste, processed without chlorine. According to the founder and CEO, Jeff Mendelsohn, “We essentially married our own success with our environmental goals.” Since 1998, San Francisco-based New Leaf Paper Co. has been in the business of saving trees -- nearly 700,000 to date, since over half the fiber used in its papers comes from post-consumer waste, rather than virgin pulp from trees. That's not to mention the 34 million pounds of solid waste no longer in the waste stream, thanks to the company's sustainable line of paper products, considered the most environmentally responsible on the market today. In its first full year of operation in 1999, New Leaf Paper generated $4 million in sales. In 2005, it expects revenues to exceed $18 million. Yet with only 18 employees, this small firm is having a significant impact on its industry. Just in the last six months, says Mednelsohn, “… we’ve witnessed a huge increase in mainstream mills now offering various green brands of paper”. Much of this new activity has come from New Leaf's own efforts, because the company has educated companies, printers, designers, and paper merchants on the benefits of environmentally responsible paper. New Leaf’s contact information:
Jeff Mendelsohn, CEO, New Leaf Paper 116 New Montgomery St., 8th Fl., San Francisco, CA 94105. Phone: 415-291-9210.
Email: info@newleafpaper.com |
