Eco Calculator
Calculate your impact
Sometimes you just need numbers. Whether it’s to determine ROI of a purchase decision, meet print policy goals or communicate with shareholders, our calculator helps you quantify the number of trees, gallons of water and other savings gained from using our recycled papers.
Our metrics
Metric ton of wood
It is estimated that 4 short tons of wood are needed for the production of 1 short ton (0.91 metric ton) of virgin paper (EPN, 2018). The production of paper from recycled paper can therefore help avoid the use of this quantity of virgin fiber. This quantity only includes the quantity of wood used for pulp and paper production.
One short ton of wood is equivalent to approximately 6 trees (average mix of hardwood and softwood). This calculation was performed by Conservatree, Environmental Defense Fund and Environmental Paper Network.
Scope of the indicator: This indicator only considers the resources needed (i.e. wood fiber) for the production of pulp and paper at the mill, not the total potential impacts over the life cycle of the paper.
Source: [EPN] Environmental Paper Network (2018). Environmental Paper Network Paper Calculator Version 4.0. www.papercalculator.org
kg CO2 equivalent
Includes carbon dioxide (CO2) from burning fossil fuels and methane from paper decomposing in landfills. These gases contribute to climate change by trapping the sun’s energy in the earth’s atmosphere. The unit of measure is CO2 equivalent, represented either in:
It includes the carbon dioxide (CO2) released from the combustion of fossil fuels and the methane generated by the decomposition of paper in landfills. The calculation also considers the impact of the temporal increase in CO2 concentration in the atmosphere due the release of the carbon contained in the biomass (i.e. the delay between tree cutting and forest regeneration). These gases contribute to climate change by trapping sunlight in the atmosphere. The unit of measurement is the CO2 equivalent.
Scope of the indicator: This indicator considers the total potential impacts over the life cycle of the paper.
US EPA (2016). Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle. https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle-0 Groupe AGÉCO. Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Fine Paper: Rolland Enviro and Rolland Opaque with Generic Virgin and Recycled North American Papers. https://acv.rollandinc.com/
m3 world eq.
It is the quantity of processed water (treated, discharged and cooling) used at the paper mill.
The equivalent impact is expressed here as an equivalent quantity of water used for a 10-minute shower in North America (on average, a 1-minute shower uses 9.5 liters of water).
Scope of the indicator: This indicator only considers the water needed for the production of paper at the mill only, i.e. not over the life cycle of the paper. An inventory of the water consumed over the life cycle present a high level of uncertainty due to the lack of quality data for the upstream stages prior to the production of paper at the mill. The water use inventory for the Canadian mills was provided by the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC). The Canadian average includes mills that produce printing and writing paper, tissue paper and/or other products made from recycled or virgin fiber.
Sources: FPAC (2017). FPAC 2017 Energy and Environment Benchmarking Report – Pulp and Paper Sector.CMHC (2014). Household guide to water efficiency. http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2016/schl-cmhc/NH15-362-2014-eng.pdf
GJ
Energy purchased (electricity and other fuels) and energy from biomass (wood residues and black liquor that stems from the Kraft process).
The equivalent is represented either in:
It is the energy purchased (electricity and other fuels) and energy from biomass (wood residues and black liquor) consumed over the entire life cycle of the paper. Black liquor stems from the Kraft process. Energy is measured in gigajoule (GJ).
The equivalence is expressed as the quantity of 60W light bulbs used during one hour.
Scope of the indicator: This indicator considers the total potential impacts over the life cycle of the paper.
Source: Groupe AGÉCO. Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Fine Paper: Rolland Enviro and Rolland Opaque with Generic Virgin and Recycled North American Papers. https://acv.rollandinc.com/
kg NMVOC
Nitrogen oxides, NOx (NO and NO2) are combustion byproducts. They contribute to acid rain and can react with volatile organic compounds and sunlight in the lower atmosphere to form ozone, a key component of urban smog.
Nitrogen oxides, NOx (NO and NO2) and non-methane volatile organic compounds are combustion byproducts. Nitrogen oxides contribute to acid rain and can react with volatile organic compounds and sunlight in the lower atmosphere to form ozone, a key component of urban smog. The presence of chemical compounds is measured in terms of kg of non-methane volatile organic compounds equivalent (kg NMVOC eq.).
Scope of the indicator: This indicator considers the total potential impacts on photochemical ozone formation over the life cycle of the paper.
Sources: [SCLCI] Swiss Center for Life Cycle Inventories (2014) ecoinvent database v3.1. http://www.ecoinvent.org Groupe AGÉCO. Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Fine Paper: Rolland Enviro and Rolland Opaque with Generic Virgin and Recycled North American Papers. https://acv.rollandinc.com/