Paper without deforestation - it is indeed possible!

The massive consumption of paper - a global problem that needs to be tackled at its roots. Find out here what alternatives there are to conventional paper and how you can minimize your own consumption.

Alternatives to paper made from wood fibers

It is an unfortunate fact that paper is mainly made from the wood fibers of trees. More than 50% of the forests cleared worldwide are turned into books, newspapers, cardboard and paperboard or, quite simply, toilet paper. The "tree consumption" of individuals can even be converted. In Germany, for example,each person "consumed" around three treeson average in 2010. Everyone. Even small children! Every few seconds, an unimaginable amount of forest disappears worldwide.

Too much deforestation!

Some of the processed wood comes from the forestry industry, i.e. from areas where so-called commercial forests are cultivated. "Forests" are artificial-looking woodlands in which all the trees are the same size and thickness and are lined up in regular sections like tin soldiers. But elsewhere, in Canada, Scandinavia and Southeast Asia, for example, natural forests are being felled, including trees that are several hundred years old. Forests that (still) represent intact ecosystems and provide a home for endangered species such as grizzlies, lynxes, orangutans and many other species. All this for a few sheets of paper that are consumed and often thrown away. 

Trees produce oxygen

Trees are not only important for wildlife, but also for us. Here again for all city dwellers: Trees are these cool things that not only look nice and green, but also give us the air we need to breathe. Literally. Because trees convert nitrogen into oxygen. Without trees, we run out of breath. Given the current global consumption of paper, sooner rather than later.

You can do without paper - at least with much less

However, everyone can and should do something to prevent this from happening. One very important step is to simply do without as much paper as possible. This works quite well at home, as you can even type your shopping list into your smartphone and make sure that there is little or no packaging when you go shopping.

What's more,not every email needs tobe printed out and filed! There are digital information management solutions in the cloud that not only make work paperless, but also easier.

Of course, you can't do without paper. Handwritten letters, greeting cards and stylish notepads and notebooks are not going out of fashion, and nobody has to do without them. Because recycled or tree-free paper is available.

Turning old into new - recycled paper

Recycled paper is anything that is made (almost) entirely from waste paper. This saves a lot of wood and protects the forest, and significantly less water and energy is consumed during production. True, recycled paper used to be gray and ugly, and you felt quite virtuous when you used it. Today, on the other hand, recycled paper is almost indistinguishable from conventional paper and is a sight to behold.

Tree-free paper - how does that work?

Yes, there are a whole host of plants whose fibers are suitable for paper production. These include banana plants and hemp, kenafa and cotton, tobacco, bamboo and coffee plant fibers and so-called bagasse, the fibers of sugar cane. Attractive eco-paper can be produced from all of these raw materials. Of course, it is not quite as cheap as paper from conventional production, but this also encourages us to think about consumption. At NIKIN, for example, we only use bamboo copy paper and bagasse paper for our tree certificates - unbleached and with zero trees inside.

We sponsor trees. Worldwide. With your purchase!

Because the preservation of our planet's forests is extremely important, we are committed to ensuring that they continue to exist in the future. The principle is very simple: for every item sold by NIKIN, we forward an amount at the end of each month to our partner organization OneTreePlanted, a globally active, charitable, climate-protecting non-profit organization from the USA. "OTP" carries out professional planting of regional tree species several times a year at over ten locations worldwide. The trees are planted by many volunteers from the local community and by "OTP" itself, in places where they have previously disappeared for various reasons such as agriculture, the timber industry or due to forest fires or droughts.

"Your" tree with us

Where "your" tree will eventually be planted depends on where the next tree planting campaign takes place. However, you can quickly find out where trees are being planted via the "OTP" website and our Instagram or Facebook. You won't know exactly which tree is "your" tree, or even where it is, but you will know that you have sponsored a young tree for the future of the earth! That's why you'll receive a tree certificate in your name with every order, officially making you a tree sponsor. 

After all, we also work digitally as far as possible and you will receive your invoice from us by email. If you now want to use tree-free paper, you can find some links here that provide you with information and also paper types that are available to buy!

> http://www.conservatree.org/treefree.html
> http://truegreenpaper.com/tree-free-paper/
> http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec/module17/bleachedpaper2.htm
> https://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/etreefree.htm