|
paper and printing
|
- Paper and printing (Raw Materials)
- Switch paying-in book covers to totally chlorine-free and 100% post-consumer waste. TARGET ACHIEVED
- Test the proposed printing indicators on a range of customer stationery and literature. ACCEPTABLE PROGRESS
- Begin to address the number of printed copies of electronic messages. TARGET NOT ACHIEVED
|
|
performance
|
 1997
 1998
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
|
|
|
commentary
|
Background Global paper demand - the single largest use of
wood fibre - has increased five-fold since the 1950s, and is
expected to double again over the next 50 years.i In order to
relieve pressure on the environment (and reduce the amount of
paper waste going to landfill), the bank aims to use increasing
amounts of recycled and totally chlorine-free paper. Printing is
the UK's sixth largest manufacturing industry, but has the
lowest take up of environmental policies of any major business
sector.ii
Paper volume Paper purchased per customer account has
decreased by 59% compared with 1997. Compared with
2001, paper purchased per customer account has fallen by
14%. This was due to a more select approach to customer
direct mailings; there was a 23.2% decrease in marketing
literature (231 tonnes) and 7,598,516 fewer items (17.4%) of
external mail compared with 2001. The bank also saw
decreases in the volume of bank statements and letterhead
paper, which reduced by 15.3% and 31.8% respectively,
compared with 2001. During 2002, the volume of cheque
paper purchased increased by 6.6% compared with 2001,
although it has reduced by 49.5% compared with 1998.
The target to address the number of printed copies of
electronic messages was not achieved; the volume of copier
paper rose by 6.1% in 2002, and has risen by 24.2% since
1998. The bank is recommitting to this target once again.
Further initiatives to reduce internal paper volumes are to be
linked to the recent change in the bank's photocopier supplier.
The bank has taken the opportunity to replace analogue
photocopiers with multifunction devices across its main offices.
Multifunction devices are able to provide print (single and
double-sided), copy and fax facilities on the same machine.
|
|
Paper type The proportion of totally chlorine-free paper
decreased by 3 percentage points. The
proportion of recycled paper and 100%
post-consumer waste recycled paper
increased by 9 percentage points and
5.4 percentage points respectively as a
consequence of more of the bank's
marketing literature being printed on
recycled paper. Of the total paper
purchased by the bank in 2002, 17.7% was elemental
chlorine-free and virgin fibres. Approximately half of this relates
to cheque and paying-in books, and these are governed by
industry standards that specify such requirements. Working
with communisis security products, the bank's main cheque
supplier and their paper provider, the bank introduced a
proportion of recycled paper to its cheque and credit paper
during 2002. To the best of the bank's knowledge, this is a
UK-first. To date, over 35 tonnes of cheque and credit paper
has been purchased which contains a minimum of 33%
recycled content. This recycled cheque paper has already
been introduced on the bank's main cheque books for Personal
customers, Corporate and Business customers and smile
customers, with Visa and other lower volume books
transferring subsequent to utilisation of existing stocks. During
2002, all paying-in book covers switched to 100% postconsumer
waste and totally chlorine-free paper. Follow this link for details of the bank's drive to pursue
ecologically-sound paper.
Printing Just over 90% (1,335 tonnes) of all printed material
was commissioned from outside organisations (2001: 1,563
tonnes), the vast majority of which is lithographic printing.
Following on from the Printing Seminar held in 2001,iv the bank
has devised a list of challenging objectives, which it considers
to be both SMART (find out more about SMART here) and consistent with The Natural
Step. These are: OSPAR-free inks, vegetable-based inks, and
inks applied with waterless print. In 2002, the bank, together
with one of its suppliers, Horner Brothers, tested these
objectives on bank letterhead paper, business cards and
compliment slips. The tests indicated, for example, that the
silver ink in the bank's corporate logo has a high metal content.
It also highlighted that although the inks used were vegetable
based, it was unclear whether they were GM-free as the soya
crop originated in the USA. The bank will seek to resolve these
issues in 2003.
Print analysis In 2002, the bank devised an environmental
questionnaire covering its requirements for paper and printing.
This questionnaire was included in a Co-operative Group-wide
tender for business stationery. The eight short-listed suppliers
have been analysed by the Ecology Unit and recommendations
made. A final decision will be taken in 2003.
 By comparison, according to their Sustainability Report
2001, at Credit Suisse Group paper consumption per
employee is 288 kg (cf. 355 kg at The Co-operative Bank).
Credit Suisse Group makes no mention of chlorine bleaching
or printing.
|
|
- Forests For Life, 2001. WWF
- Green Futures. January/February 2002.
- www.co-operativebank.co.uk/ethics/partnership2002/pr/paper.html
- www.co-operativebank.co.uk/ethics/partnership2001/pr/paper_printing.html
To follow any of the links mentioned within the Partnership Report 2002, please visit the links page.
|
|
ethical and ecological value analysis
|
- Since 1997, paper usage has reduced by 1,121 tonnes,
leading to an annual saving of £4,153,000
- Additional annual cost associated with utilisation of
preferred ecologically-sound paper £89,000
|
|
|
new target
|
- Switch all cheque and paying-in books to paper containing 33% recycled content.
Adrian Smithies, Manager, Business Operations
- Evidence progress in the removal of 'toxic' chemicals from third party printing activities.
|
|
|
