Waste management services provider and supplier of raw materials Van Gansewinkel launches its first Cradle-to-Cradle end product: Van Gansewinkel Office Paper. 100% recycled office paper, certified by the scientific Cradle-to-Cradle institute EPEA.

Studies carried out by the German Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IFEU) in Heidelberg (www.ifeu.de) show that Van Gansewinkel Office Paper meets all the requirements for high-quality office paper, but it takes up to 83% less water (79 litres for 1 pack of paper) and 72% less electricity to produce than standard office paper.

The maximum reduction in CO2 emissions is 53%. In addition, no trees have to be cut down for Van Gansewinkel Office Paper, but 1 pack of standard office paper uses up to 7.5 kg of wood. Office paper is already frequently recycled, but usually as newspaper or tissue paper and not office paper. Unnecessarily large amounts of natural resources are still used in the production of high-quality office paper.

For the sale, service and distribution activities related to its office paper, Van Gansewinkel has entered an exclusive partnership agreement with Océ, one of the largest suppliers of professional document management and printing systems in the world.

The Cradle-to-Cradle process

Van Gansewinkel Office Paper is the first office paper in the world with Cradle-to-Cradle certification. Van Gansewinkel collects waste office paper from its customers and, after it has been separated into base materials, it is shredded, compacted into bales and sent to Steinbeis, a German paper manufacturer. Following a sustainable production process, Van Gansewinkel and partner Océ supply their customers with 100% recycled paper, which is collected once again after it has been used. In this way, Van Gansewinkel Office Paper is recycled in a continuous loop. The unique paper provides organisations with a simple, tangible method for reducing their carbon footprint.

The production of office paper frequently involves the use of ink-removing chemicals. However, Steinbeis has developed a process for Van Gansewinkel Office Paper that employs only environmentally friendly materials.

Van Gansewinkel Office Paper is the first Cradle-to-Cradle product that Van Gansewinkel has brought on the market. In the Cradle-to-Cradle concept, waste is used as a raw material for new products. This principle is in keeping with Van Gansewinkel's ‘Waste no more’ philosophy.

Van Gansewinkel is involved in the design phase of products and in their collection at the end of their first life cycle. Van Gansewinkel utilises its expertise in materials, recycling processes and logistics systems to form continuous loops for products and to give waste a second lease of life as a useful raw material.