An average of only 21 per cent of Australian companies buy paper from brands aligned with environmental protection, despite the majority of office workers saying they would prefer their organisation to switch to paper made from sustainable resources.
The Double A research also discovered that men have a greater awareness of the different types of environmentally friendly paper on the market. Conversely, only one in five workers understood the term ‘old growth forest’, the term rainforest is classified under, which is still cleared in Indonesia and South America to use in paper production.
Double A senior executive vice president, Thirawit Leetavorn, said that although many Australian offices had good environmental intentions, when it came to making purchases for the office such as copy paper, most had very little knowledge of which paper types and brands were best.
“There is a lack of knowledge among the Australian business community between the different types of paper production methods and their environmental benefits,” Leetavorn said.
“Double A’s unique Farmed Tree method is one of the most sustainable models of paper production, avoiding the clearing of land, logging of old growth forests and in the process releasing some 1.6 million tonnes of oxygen into the atmosphere and reducing CO2 emissions by 2.4 million tonnes every year.”
Key findings from the Double A research include:
Most Australians (59 per cent) incorrectly believe land needs to be cleared in order to farm trees, and that this results in a loss of habitat (60 per cent believe);
One in five workers, or 21 per cent, have an understanding of the term ‘old growth forest’. A further 57 per cent have a vague or no idea of what the term means
Twenty one per cent of workers have never heard of the term ‘old growth forest’;
When advised of some of the environmental benefits of paper from Farmed Trees, 55 per cent of office workers would prefer their organisation to paper made from a sustainable source.
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.
Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter