Forest industry study: tablets may cut mag paper use by as much as 50% within 15 years

Because of the spreading use of tablets, the North American demand for paper for magazines will drop by as much as 20% by 2015 and perhaps as much as 50% over the next 15 years, according to a forest product industry study. A story in Folio: quotes global forest products information provider RISI which notes that there are already over 10 million tablets in use today, with many more to come.As

Printing paper consumption down one- third since 2000

North American consumption of printing paper has dropped by more than 33% since 2000, according to Andre Bernier, chairman of the Pulp and Paper Technical Association of Canada. In a story carried by the Montreal Gazette and other Postmedia papers, Bernier said in an interview at the PAPTAC conference that last year the industry sold 32 million tonnes, compared with 48 million 10 year ago. "That

Publishers told to get their mags ahead of people's changing attitude towards paper

[This post has been updated]The president of the Canadian Forest Products Association, Avrim Lazar, brought a blunt message to the American Magazine Conference last week about a possible consumer backlash against paper-based publishing products like magazines. He called on publishers to respond as leaders to the changing attitudes of consumers towards their printed products. [It has been pointed

Chalk one up for back issues of magazines not crumbling away

The law of unintended, but pleasantly surprising, consequences applies apparently in the way magazine paper is increasingly being made in Europe and North America, according to a post on Magstastic Blogsplosion, a website authored by Andrew Losowsky. The substitution of calcium carbonate (essentially, chalk) for the more expensive imported china clay in the coating of magazine paper means that,

Will cheaper paper mean that National Geographic magazines will crumble?

A relatively recent switch by National Geographic magazine to print its inside pages on much less costly coated groundwood paper may mean that, in future, copies will not stand up so well to the test of time. According to a story in the blog Dead Tree Edition, the magazine was previously printed on coated freesheet paper which doesn't contain lignin, a natural ingredient that causes the yellowing

Database tracks phenomenal growth of eco-paper availability

The number of eco-papers available to printers in North America has grown from 97 to 228 in just 18 months, according to information released by Canopy, the  non-profit organization working to improve the environmental performance of paper and wood companies.
"We're witnessing a phenomenal shift in the paper industry where sustained and growing green demand is steering paper production towards

Indigo tells customers which books are green; can magazines be far behind?

Canada’s leading book retailer, Indigo Books & Music Inc. now tells its customers -- in kiosks in their stores and online -- which books are printed on papers containing recycled and/or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) fibre, according to a posting on the website of Canopy, the campaigners for sustainable paper use.
Book titles that lack environmental information at the kiosks either have no

Recycled paper gets special displays for some U.S. magazines

Barnes & Noble stores in the U.S. are in the second year of featuring magazines that use recycled paper in special magazine racks in over 240 of their largest stores. The project is being done in partnership with Green America’s Better Paper Project. Since the project started, 46 magazines have taken part.The ten magazines participating in this month’s promotion include: Tricycle, Mother Jones,

Sorting out the standards for eco-certified paper and wood products

Magazine publishers who want to be on the side of the angels are confronted by a variety of certifications being bandied about for paper from eco-certified wood pulp. So called "green" terms are tossed about like logs in a stream, but consumers and publishers alike could be forgiven for being baffled by the gab.Christopher Pollan, a contributing editor for The Tyee in Vancouver has written the

There's demand for Canadian eco-paper if only the mills would produce it

The Canadian publishing industry -- magazines, books and newspapers -- want at least 550,000 metric tonnes of eco-paper, worth something like $560 million, but no Canadian paper mills are so far prepared to supply it. According to a new report released by Markets Initiative, the ailing Canadian pulp and paper industry could be repositioned for success by adopting more environmentally sensitive

Transcontinental Inc. pledges to promote "environmentally preferable" paper

It's too early to say if this is a tipping point, but the announcement yesterday by Transcontinental Inc., Canada's largest commercial printer, that it would champion "environmentally preferable" papers may be the breakthrough that the green paper movement has been working for. It is the first major North American printer to do so.The company, which is also the largest publisher of consumer

Champions of ancient forest friendly paper honoured

Markets Initiative, the doughty champions of ancient forest friendly paper use in Canadian publications, has given out "Order of the Forest" awards to a number of people at magazines and printers for their support and encouragement of the cause. The awards were made Friday at the MagNet magazine conference. Since this is the first time the awards have been given out, there was some catchup to do,

Mega-merger for Abitibi-Consolidated and Bowater paper companies

Pending shareholder votes at both companies on July 26, one of Canada's largest paper companies, Abitibi-Consolidated Inc. will be merged with U.S.-controlled Bowater Incorporated. The proposed merger can be voted on as the result of an interim order of the Quebec Superior Court. Abitibi-Consolidated shareholders will vote in Montreal; Bowater stockholders in Atlanta Georgia. (Bowater Canada Inc.