Created by long-time agency VSA Partners, the eQ Journal, a free publication from Sappi Fine Paper North America, spotlights a wide range of sustainability issues and practices. Issue 5, “Rethinking Recycling,” presents a number of topics that are educational for readers, including single stream recycling, municipal solid waste, post-consumer waste and recycled fiber. In addition to the latest iteration of the journal, VSA Partners has designed a series of new ‘please recycle’ logos in English, Spanish and French.

This piece is being used as an educational tool across and beyond the paper industry. Printers are using it to educate their customers, stakeholders and students. Even the Canadian government is using eQ5 to inform legislators of the issues surrounding paper use as new forestry and paper legislation is currently on the table.

In addition to the Journal, Sappi created an interactive quiz featuring information from the issue and unveiled it at the HOW Conference in San Francisco, with attendees taking the quiz and getting a limited edition t-shirt featuring the new recycling logos. Visitors to Sappi’s website can take the quiz at http://eqquiz.sappicloud.com/.

Features

•This piece is part of a series of environmental communications by Sappi and designed by VSA Partners that helps readers learn the surprising truth about the complex world of paper recycling.

•The intent of the piece, “Rethinking Recyling” is to provide in-depth information and education about such topics as single stream recycling, municipal solid waste, post-consumer waste and recycled fiber.

•This piece looks to dispel myths and common misperceptions about recycling paper.

•We often think we have to use the logo we all see everywhere; the chasing arrows. We don’t! Use the new logos, or, be inspired to create your own messages.

The Facts

•The first issue in this series was created in 2009.

•Sappi has been a VSA client since 2005.

•To order a free journal, go to http://www.na.sappi.com/eQ/journal/journal005/,
specifically: http://sappi.litorders.com/SelectInventoryList.aspx?Stock_Number=PRO-5959

•To get the logos, go to: http://www.na.sappi.com/eQ/stories/creativity-matters.html. They can be downloaded in three languages.

Credits

Design: VSA Partners, Brandt Brinkerhoff, Katherine Walker and Nate Baltikas.

Printing: RR Donnelly

Quotes

 “We have worked really hard to explain the tradeoffs in using fiber in different products,” explains Laura Thompson, Sappi’s Director of Technical Marketing and Sustainable Development. “While we make products with up to 30% recycled fiber, the fact is that there are many other applications (like cereal boxes) where the fiber can be put to better use—with less environmental impact than putting it in our papers.”

Brandt Brinkerhoff, Associate Creative Director, VSA Partners:

Sappi’s eQ Journal series focuses on sustainability issues that are connected with the paper making process, sharing a wealth of fact-based information and debunking many of the myths and conjecture prevalent in contemporary discourse. Issue 5 focuses on recycling and the best use of recovered fiber—topics which have been misrepresented for decades through activist polemic. 

VSA employed a succinct and straightforward approach, focusing on easy-to-digest data and facts. The issue tackles topics including the recovery process, how recycling facilities work, paper recycling efforts and its formation as a usable product, the environmental impact of processing for various paper categories and education on truly good usage of recovered fiber.

This led to two key takeaways. First, for those who spec paper: do your homework. Post-consumer content is not always a good thing, so it requires effort to get informed, with the journal as a good start. Secondly, it’s everyone’s responsibility to recycle, so creative and unexpected messaging can better motivate and inspire people to recycle. To assist, we created a set of imaginative and quirky recycling logos [www.na.sappi.com/eQ/stories/creativity-matters.html] for free download and use.

Resource Links
Images: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dda3i7q504py4ts/xFm-uwM7og
To order a free journal: http://sappi.litorders.com/SelectInventoryList.aspx?Stock_Number=PRO-5959
To get the logos: http://www.na.sappi.com/eQ/stories/creativity-matters.html