Category: Blog

In our increasingly environmentally conscious world, it’s common for companies to tout their green initiatives and environmentally friendly practices, and that’s just good business.  But all too often, companies claim benefits –  like the environmental superiority of “recyclable plastic” packaging or “going green” by switching from paper to electronic communications — as a way to cloak poor environmental performance or mask cost-cutting efforts. With no sound scientific evidence to back them up, these types of claims are textbook greenwashing.  

Some of the consequences of greenwashing are obvious.  Clearly, unsubstantiated environmental claims mislead consumers, often causing them to take actions they would not otherwise consider. As reported previously by Two Sides North America (TSNA), psychological research has shown that when people see and hear unsubstantiated claims over and over again, they start to believe them as true, and ultimately incorporate them into their decision making. A 2022 TSNA study confirmed this finding. The study showed that among Americans who had repeatedly seen “go green, go paperless” and similar claims from their banks, utility companies and other services providers, 65% were influenced to switch from paper to electronic bills and statements.

Greenwashing claims can also cause reputational harm, not only damaging the credibility of companies that make such claims, but also casting doubt over the valid claims of companies that are contributing to real environmental progress.  The U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s “Green Guides” provide very specific guidance related to environmental claims, stating that “claims must be truthful, not misleading and supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence.” Unfortunately, this guidance is often ignored.

Hidden Consequences

One of the least discussed but most damaging consequences of paper-related greenwashing is economic in nature. When respected companies, media and producers of competing materials make unsubstantiated environmental claims, they negatively influence consumers’ perceptions of paper products and put at risk the livelihoods of workers across the print, paper, paper-based packaging and mail sector.  A recent study by the Envelope Manufacturers Association Foundation reported that this sector accounts for 7.9 million workers who make up 5% of the U.S. workforce and contribute nearly $2 trillion to the U.S. economy.  From papermakers, printers and converting equipment operators to graphic designers, paper industry suppliers and mail management and distribution employees, greenwashing creates economic vulnerabilities for many.  

The Greenwashing Cure: Accountability

The way to eliminate paper-related greenwashing by corporations, media and producers of competing materials is to hold them accountable for their bogus claims.  Two Sides North America is the only industry organization doing just that.

Two Sides directly challenges greenwashing companies to remove unsubstantiated environmental claims in a non-confrontational way, educating CEOs and other senior management with facts from credible, third-party sources that clearly demonstrate the unique sustainability characteristics of paper products and the solid and continually improving environmental record of the North American paper industry. So far this year, TSNA has persuaded 24 more companies and two state/provincial government agencies to remove unsubstantiated environmental claims about paper, which translates to roughly 239 million consumers who are no longer seeing anti-paper greenwashing claims from these service providers.  

Two Sides also defends the sustainability of paper and paper-based packaging in the media, most recently in our letters to the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times and Office Products International (OPI) News. 

“Paper is one of the few products on earth that already has an environmentally sustainable, circular life cycle,” says TSNA President Kathi Rowzie. “North American paper is made from an infinitely renewable natural resource – trees that are purpose-grown, harvested and regrown in sustainably managed forests. It’s manufactured using mostly renewable, carbon neutral bioenergy in a process that uses a lot of water, but actually consumes very little of it. And paper products are recycled more than any other material in the U.S. municipal solid waste stream. But many consumers believe paper is bad for the environment because corporations, the media and other organizations they trust are telling them so. The Two Sides Anti-greenwashing Campaign is working hard to change that.”

You Can Help!

If you see greenwashing claims like “go green, go paperless” from companies you do business with, or media stories promoting alternative types of packaging as environmentally superior to paper, send a pdf or jpg snip of the claims or forward the offending email to the Two Sides North America Anti-Greenwashing Campaign at info@twosidesna.org.

On Friday, November 3 (November 4 in the print edition), the Wall Street Journal published an article titled Citi to Cardholders: Go Paperless or Else about Citigroup’s decision to cut off all online and app communications with their customers who refuse to go paperless. Two Sides North America sent the following letter to the editors of the WSJ the same day.

Citigroup’s Paperless Mistake

Recent survey data validates the backlash shown on the WSJ website in response to Citigroup’s decision to cut off all electronic communications to consumers who refuse to go paperless. Commissioned by Two Sides North America and conducted by international research firm Toluna, the survey showed that 81% of Americans, including more than half of 18- to 24-year-olds, believe they should have the right to choose between paper and electronic communications from their banks and other service providers, and 73% believe they should not be charged extra for receiving a paper bill or statement. 46% of consumers said they would consider switching to an alternate provider if their current one forced them to go paperless, up from 41% in 2021.

As the WSJ story mentions, other financial institutions succumb to the temptation to wrap similar paperless initiatives in scientifically dubious greenwashing claims, but credit Citigroup at least for not going down that worn out road. Too often we see other banks claiming they’re “improving the environment” by shifting customers to electronic delivery while scrupulously avoiding any mention of the enormous energy and other environmental costs of electronic communication. By comparison, paper is made from an infinitely renewable natural resource (trees grown in sustainably managed forests) in a process that in the U.S. uses mostly renewable bioenergy and consumes very little water.  And with a recovery rate of 68%, paper is recycled more than any other material in the U.S. municipal solid waste stream.

Kathi Rowzie, President

Two Sides North America

Phone:  937-999-7729

About Two Sides North America

Two Sides North America (www.twosidesna.org) is part of the non-profit Two Sides global network which includes more than 600 member companies in the print and paper products supply chain across North America, South America, Latin America, Europe, Australia and South Africa. Our mission is to dispel common environmental misconceptions and to inspire and inform businesses and consumers with engaging, factual information about the inherent environmental sustainability and enduring value of print, paper and paper-based packaging.

The Two Sides North America 2023 Trend Tracker Survey queried 1,000 U.S. consumers aged 18 and older in January 2023.

DAYTON, Ohio – November 1, 2023 – Two Sides North America (TSNA) President Kathi Rowzie today announced that Jules Van Sant and Jill Crossley have joined the TSNA leadership team as Executive Director and Director of Operations, respectively.

“I am thrilled to welcome these two outstanding professionals to help lead Two Sides North America into the future,” Rowzie said.  “As we continue to grow, Jules and Jill bring a wealth of sustainability knowledge and industry experience that will add value to everything we do for our members and will make us even more effective in eliminating anti-paper greenwashing and telling the great sustainability story of print, paper and paper-based packaging.”

Van Sant has decades of experience in the printing, graphic arts and advertising industries, and has a high profile presence on national print and paper industry task forces, committees and networking initiatives. She served as Executive Director of the Pacific Printing Industries Association from 2006 to 2018, and is current chair of the Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation.

Crossley has worked in and with the paper industry and related organizations for more than 15 years. Her breadth of marketing experience supporting business groups across both manufacturing and corporate settings gives her a unique perspective on the industry and its sustainability, as well as a distinct advantage in developing communication strategies and campaigns that resonate with stakeholders across the print, paper, paper-based packaging, and consumer sectors.

Rowzie will continue as President of Two Sides North America.

About Two Sides North America

Two Sides North America (www.twosidesna.org) is part of the non-profit Two Sides global network which includes more than 600 member companies across North America, South America, Latin America, Europe, Australia and South Africa. Our mission is to dispel common environmental misconceptions and to inspire and inform businesses and consumers with engaging, factual information about the inherent environmental sustainability and enduring value of print, paper and  paper-based packaging.

Media Contact:

Kathi Rowzie, President

Two Sides North America

P:  937-999-7729

E:  info@twosidesna.org

Dear Two Sides Members and Supporters,

Two Sides has been busy this year, working on behalf of our members to eliminate anti-paper greenwashing claims, to help educate industry stakeholders on hot environmental topics and to conduct research on consumer attitudes toward our industry and its products. To give you a view of what we’ve been up to, here are some of the highlights.

Through 3Q24, Two Sides’ Anti-greenwashing Campaign has persuaded 24 more corporations and other organizations to eliminate anti-paper greenwashing claims, which translates to 100 million more consumers who are no longer seeing misleading environmental claims about paper products from their service providers. We are in conversation with several other large companies right now, and continue to pursue claims as we find them.

It’s important to note that Two Sides is the only industry organization that directly challenges the senior leadership of major corporations, government entities, educational institutions and other organizations to remove unsubstantiated and misleading environmental claims about paper products.

As the plastics industry increases its efforts to position its packaging products as sustainable, we are seeing increasing efforts to promote plastic as more environmentally friendly than paper packaging.  Two Sides has been aggressively responding to this type of greenwashing in the media.  The most recent example was a letter to the Washington Times in response to an opinion piece by a plastics industry lobbyist.  Our letter was picked up by various industry trade publications and news services.

Thanks to alerts from several of our members, Two Sides recently responded to greenwashing claims about “going paperless” in an opinion piece submitted by an electronic documents management company to Office Products International (OPI), a leading news source for the office products industry. While our response focused on electronic communication vs paper, it sent an important message about the sustainability of all paper products available to the office products sector. Following publication of our response, the original article was removed from the OPI website.

Two Sides responded to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s request for comment on improving the agency’s Guides to Environmental Marketing Claims (aka the Green Guides). Among other things, we suggested that paper products merit their own section in the Green Guides due to the pervasiveness of paper-related greenwashing, and we recommended that the FTC revise the Green Guides to include additional emphasis on globally recognized ISO life cycle assessment principles and practices when it comes to making comparisons of sustainability like Go Green, Go Paperless.

Our Fact Sheets are updated regularly and loaded with facts and data from credible third-party sources to help our members supplement their own sustainability efforts. Two Side members can customize these tools with their own logos for use with their customer and other stakeholders.

In addition to environmental news and facts, we continue to provide information to help our members educate their customers and other stakeholders on environmental topics specific to the paper and paper-based packaging industry.  Recent topics include sustainable fiber sourcing, the  facts about biomass energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, the truth about deforestation and alternative fibers and how greenwashing hurts both the printing papers and packaging sectors.

We introduced our new podcast, Three Minutes with Two Sides, featuring topics like the circularity of paper products.

We conducted our biennial Two Sides Trend Tracker Survey to assess U.S. consumers’ opinions, attitudes and behaviors related to print, paper and paper based packaging, and we promoted the survey results widely in the media.  Overall, the survey revealed incremental improvement in how consumers view paper products and related issues, but also showed that common misconceptions are still widespread. You’ll find an overview of the survey results here.

With our emphasis on more engaging content and graphics, our social media presence continues to grow, especially on LinkedIn, where our number of followers has grown 25% since the beginning of the year.  Each month, we send our members turnkey recommended social media posts for use in their own social media.

We continue to expand our reach by educating broader and more diverse audiences through both in-person and virtual presentations on the sustainability of our industry and its products. In 2023, our audiences have included member sales organizations, customer conferences, industry association meetings and college/university groups.

We’ve supported our members by providing content for their internal and customer communications, and we helped members, particularly those who do not have their own internal sustainability function, answer paper-related environmental questions from their customers.

On behalf of Two Sides, I want to say a huge thank you to all of our members.  Two Sides North America was able to accomplish everything highlighted here – and more – because of your continuing support.

Our members come from across the entire print, paper and paper-based packaging supply chain, and annual membership dues are Two Sides North America’s sole source of revenue.  The more we grow, the wider we can expand our efforts to end anti-paper greenwashing and tell the great sustainability story of our industry and its products.

If your company is not currently a Two Sides member, I encourage you to get in touch with us to learn why our members say the low-cost, high-value benefits Two Sides delivers is one of the best investments they make each year. You can also learn more by downloading our value proposition.

Print, paper and paper-based packaging have a great environmental story to tell!  You can help us continue to tell it in ways that make a real difference for your company, your customers and our industry as a whole.

Thank you,

Kathi Rowzie, President

info@twosidesna.org

937-999-7729

With a recent poll¹ concluding that the majority of Americans would prefer to return to pre-internet days, are we just seeing a nostalgic yearning for simpler times or is there something deeper and more complex going on?

The poll revealed that the desire to return to an unplugged era is surprisingly strong among the younger generation, and is not strikingly different from those who are old enough to remember not having smartphones and easy internet access. While 77% of Americans aged 35-54 said they would prefer a return to their analog roots – the highest of any group in the survey – an eyebrow-raising 63% of 18- to 34-year-olds also agreed with the sentiment. But a desire to disconnect isn’t simply a matter of nostalgia.

Hybrid Working

The survey also revealed that 57% of people under 35 agreed with the statement that technology is “more likely to divide people than unite them” – an indication that the social media generation may be growing weary – and wary – of the world of feuding tech billionaires, Chat GPT and Deepfake. But beyond the attention-grabbing posts, there are subtler moves at play.

Research from Keypoint Intelligence reveals that the paperless office is less appealing to the workforce than managers seem to think. A survey of nearly 500 general office workers between the ages of 18 and 69 showed that 62% always or sometimes preferred working on paper, with employees under 35 more likely to prefer working with paper than their older counterparts². This finding contradicts the assumption that younger generations view print as old-fashioned and irrelevant, when the opposite is often the case. While most adopt a hybrid approach to working, using each technology where most appropriate, the fact remains that pen and paper are often deemed the most effective tools for certain tasks.

The Power of Paper

This surprising preference for paper is borne out by the experience of Taymoor Atighetchi, founder and CEO of the stationery company Papier, which has been a start-up success story since it launched in 2015. “Nostalgia alone isn’t going to build a business,” he says. “The majority of our customers are 25 to 35, so they have got nothing really to reference. The internet was already around when they were born. I think it’s something deeper than nostalgia, something innate and human about receiving physical products.”

Notably, Papier is first and foremost an e-commerce brand. By utilizing the power of digital publishing, it offers print-to-order personalized stationery that ranges from notepads and writing papers to wedding invitations, cards, calendars and planners.

“There are studies that show that when people connect their mind to pen and paper, more thought goes into it,” says Atighetchi. “There’s magic that happens there, compared to when you are writing on WhatsApp. Something happens that makes that message more meaningful.”

From corporate communications to personal letters, from adult coloring books to a surging interest in Origami, it seems that most of us prefer a hands-on, tactile approach to productivity and creativity once in a while. And for those of us who find the demands of the digital-first lifestyle stressful at times, paper may provide just the moment of zen we need.

—

¹ The Harris Poll, June 2023

² United States Future of Work Survey, Keypoint Intelligence, 2022

The Washington Times recently featured an opinion piece by an advocate for the plastics industry that included multiple unsubstantiated environmental claims about paper-based packaging. Two Sides North America submitted the following letter to the editors in response.

To the editors:

Why is it that whenever someone wants to extoll the sustainability benefits of plastic packaging products, they feel compelled to claim that plastics have “a lower environmental impact” than paper-based packaging (America succumbs to plastic paranoia, September 26) instead of simply making a fact-based environmental case? Could it be because paper products are the gold standard for circularity and true sustainability?

In this case, the author makes gratuitous claims that plastic packaging “helps the planet” and “saves tens of millions of trees every year,” citing “real scientists” from Sweden and Denmark to back up his claims of plastic’s green superiority. In doing so, he invites comparisons that, of necessity, must also catalog the environmental consequences of plastic packaging, from the extraction of finite resources and energy use to the fate of final products.

To start with, the many different resins used to make plastics are derived from non-renewable fossil fuels, namely natural gas, feedstocks derived from natural gas processing, and feedstocks derived from crude oil refining (U.S. Energy Information Administration). And single-use plastics also are incredibly energy-intensive to produce. In fact, plastic production accounts for more than 3% of total U.S. energy consumption, using roughly the same amount of oil as the global aviation industry, which in turn generates significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (U.S. Department of Energy).

And while Americans toss millions of tons of plastic packaging into their recycling bins, not much of it actually gets recycled. A recycling PR campaign recently launched by the plastics industry says that 6 billion pounds (3 million tons) of plastic get recycled each year, but that’s only about 9% of the total plastic produced annually in the U.S. according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  There are just too many different types of plastic, each with different recycling requirements, so they can’t be combined and recycled together. Building out the infrastructure to effectively collect, sort and recycle them poses extremely difficult logistical and economic challenges – challenges that are not likely to be met any time soon, if ever.

Given the finite resources and large amounts of fossil fuel energy used to produce them along with their low recycling rate, it’s a bit of a stretch to imply that plastics meet the generally accepted definition of circularity: industrial processes and economic activities that are 1) restorative or regenerative by design, 2) enable resources used to maintain their highest value for as long as possible, and 3) aim to eliminate waste through the superior design of materials, products and systems.

Paper-based packaging, on the other hand, has a demonstrably circular life cycle.

Paper-based packaging is manufactured using an infinitely renewable natural resource – trees that are purpose-grown, harvested and re-grown in sustainably managed forests. And it is manufactured in a process that uses mostly (64% on average in the U.S.) renewable bioenergy. This fact, combined with investments in energy efficiency and process improvements helped the U.S. paper industry reduce GHG emissions per ton of production by more than 24% since 2005. (American Forest and Paper Association, AF&PA). According to the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory, the pulp and paper industry is not a major contributor to climate change, contributing less than 0.6% of total U.S. CO₂e emissions.

While all of these unique environmental characteristics make paper arguably one of the most sustainable products on earth, it’s the paper industry’s investment in recycling infrastructure that makes the paper life cycle truly circular. Over the past 30 years, the U.S. industry has voluntarily bankrolled billions of dollars in recycling infrastructure, including $7 billion in completed or announced investments between 2019 and 2025. Today, 94% of Americans have access to a community paper recycling program, and 79% have access to residential/curbside recycling programs, this according to a comprehensive national study commissioned by AF&PA in 2021.

Because paper recycling is accessible and easy, U.S. businesses and consumers have embraced it in a big way. With a recycling rate of 68% (~46 million tons annually), paper and paper-based packaging are the most recycled material in the U.S. municipal solid waste stream (EPA).  And that rate jumps to nearly 94% for cardboard packaging (AF&PA).

Kathi Rowzie, President

Two Sides North America

www.twosidesna.org

You may be familiar with forest management certification, the voluntary process in which an independent, accredited third-party auditor conducts an onsite assessment of forestland to determine the quality of forest management against established standards such as those developed by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®), Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification™ (PEFC™). Perhaps less familiar, but far more prevalent, is fiber sourcing certification.

Around 90% of all forestland globally is not certified. For North American paper manufacturers who do not own their own forestland, this means they need a way to document that the wood they buy from non-certified forests is sourced responsibly. Certifying their wood and fiber procurement operations to a sustainable sourcing standard provides strong, proven mechanisms that enable responsible sourcing.

The American Forest and Paper Association reports that of the total wood fiber from forests used for products, its members procure more than 99% through a certified fiber sourcing program.

SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard

The SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard is among the most rigorous of these standards. It holds individual mills and manufacturers, who bear all the costs to certify, accountable for promoting responsible forestry, which reduces the financial burden on small family forest owners. SFI‑certified organizations must show that the raw material in their supply chain comes from legal and responsible sources, whether the forests are certified or not.

But the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard requires certified paper manufacturers to go far beyond simply avoiding the purchase of wood or fiber from illegal or otherwise “controversial” sources. The performance-based standard requires manufacturers to take proactive steps with their third-party suppliers, including forestland owners and loggers from whom they source wood, to help ensure environmentally sound harvesting. The standard sets mandatory forestry best management practices (BMPs) for the responsible procurement of all fiber sourced directly from the forest. Among others, these BMPs include requirements to advance the protection of water and soil quality, conserve biodiversity and forests with exceptional conservation value, and protect at-risk species.

In addition, certified manufacturers are required to invest in forestry research and technology, and to develop monitoring systems to evaluate and verify the use of BMPs in their supply chains. Demonstrating the impact of the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard on BMP implementation, a 2018 report titled “Implementation of Forestry Best Management Practices” by the Southern Group of State Foresters¹ put the BMP implementation rate in the region at nearly 94%, up from 87% in 2008.

Certified manufacturers must also participate in the development and implementation of professional logger training programs, and require that loggers supplying wood to them be trained. A very strong system of logger training programs exists today across U.S. states and Canadian provinces, and this is a direct result of implementation of the SFI Fiber Sourcing standard. Through these programs, more than 221,000 professional loggers have been trained since 1995 to ensure understanding of biodiversity, water and soil quality and other sustainable forestry requirements.

Much of the wood used by U.S. and Canadian paper manufacturers comes from small, family forests that are not certified to a forest management standard. Another critical element of the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard requires certified manufacturers to develop and provide outreach to these small family forest owners. This includes information and educational materials that encourage, among other things, reforestation after harvesting and forest productivity measures that protect against damage from wildfire, pests, disease and invasive species.

In order for a paper manufacturer to be certified, all SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard requirements must be independently audited by a competent and accredited third-party certification body. And, just as there are on-product labels to convey that fiber is sourced from certified forestland, SFI has a distinct label to denote fiber that is sourced responsibly under its Fiber Sourcing Standard. The SFI Certified Sourcing label tells consumers that fiber comes from a company that is certified to the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard, from recycled content, or from a certified forest.

The SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard applies to manufacturers in the United States and Canada that procure wood domestically or globally. When SFI-certified organizations source fiber from jurisdictions outside North America that may lack effective laws, they must complete a risk assessment to assure their fiber sourcing programs support principles of sustainable forestry, promote conservation of biodiversity, thwart illegal logging, avoid controversial sources and encourage socially sound practices. Despite the very low risk of illegal logging in the United States and Canada, the marketplace has increasingly demanded risk assessments across the entire supply chain. The SFI 2022 Fiber Sourcing Standard requires certified organizations to assess the risk of illegal logging regardless of the country or region of origin.

For more detailed information about the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard, click here.

FSC Controlled Wood Standard

The Forest Stewardship Council allows paper manufacturers to mix FSC-certified fiber with non-certified fiber in FSC-labeled products under controlled conditions. The non-certified material subject to these controlled conditions is referred to as “controlled wood.”

The FSC Controlled Wood Standard requires certificate holders that use controlled wood to mitigate the risk of using wood products from undesirable sources in FSC-labeled products. Mitigation must be implemented when the risk of sourcing from the following types of forests is greater than “low” as determined by an FSC risk assessment:

• Illegally harvested forests;
• Forests that were harvested in violation of traditional and civil rights;
• Forests where High Conservation Values are threatened by management activities;
• Natural forests that were converted to non-forest uses; and
• Forests with genetically modified trees.

The FSC US National Risk Assessment (US NRA) must be used by all companies that wish to control uncertified forest materials from the conterminous United States so that the materials may be mixed with FSC-certified materials and used in products that carry the FSC Mix label.  Similarly, the FSC Canadian National Risk Assessment (FSC-NRA-CA) must be used by companies that wish to control uncertified forest materials from Canada.

For more information on the FSC Controlled Wood Standard, click here.

___________________________

¹   AL, AR, KY, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, FL, GA and VA.

Over the last three decades, the U.S. paper industry’s deep-rooted commitment and voluntary investment of billions of dollars in recycling infrastructure have transformed the circularity of paper products from vision to reality – something no other industry has been able to achieve. At a time when there’s growing alarm about the low recycled rates of other materials, paper recycling is a clear exception.

LISTEN HERE!

Download the podcast transcript here.

DAYTON, OHIO – August 16, 2023 –  In an attempt to reduce costs, many banks, utilities, insurers and other service providers are switching consumers from paper to electronic bills and statements, often without their consent, and some are now charging fees to receive paper statements. Others are urging their customers to switch from paper to digital communication because it’s “green” or “better for the environment.” But a recent survey commissioned by Two Sides North America and conducted by international research firm Toluna found that consumers want the freedom to choose how they receive important communications from the companies they do business with.

The Right to Choose

The Two Sides survey showed that 81% of U.S. consumers believe they should have the right to choose how they receive important communications from their service providers, on paper or electronically, and 73% believe they should not be charged more for choosing a paper bill or statement.  These percentages increased from 2021 by 78% and 67%, respectively.

While using the internet can be a quick and convenient way to transact business, companies that default customers to electronic communication put at risk many Americans who do not have broadband access, cannot afford it or have difficulty using the internet. Particularly at risk are people in rural areas, older people and those living on low incomes. According to a 2021 study by data technology company BroadbandNow, some 42 million Americans do not have broadband internet access. The Pew Research Center reports that 25% of people over age 65 never go online. A 2023 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), states that nearly a third of Americans who don’t have broadband say the reason is because they can’t afford it.

Companies that force consumers to go paperless also face risks of their own. Nearly 46% of consumers said they would consider switching to an alternate provider if their current one forced them to go paperless, up from 41% in 2021.

Digital Communication is Not Always Preferred

The survey showed that 65% of consumers are increasingly concerned that their personal information held electronically is at risk of being hacked, stolen, lost or damaged, up from 64% in 2021. Those over age 65 are most concerned (74%), but 46% of those aged 18 to 24 have the same worry.

Internet use is practical and convenient for many, but electronic communication also comes with undeniable challenges, including issues associated with overuse. The survey revealed that American consumers believe “switching off” is more important than ever, with 59% saying they spend too much time on digital devices, up from 51% in 2021. 53% of consumers are concerned that the overuse of electronic devices could be damaging to their health, causing issues such as eye strain, headaches and sleep deprivation, up from 51% in 2021.

Which is better, Print on Paper or Digital Communication?

“The simple answer is that both print and digital communication have important uses and benefits that consumers value,” says Two Sides North America President Kathi Rowzie. “The question should not be which one is better, but which is best suited for each individual’s needs. It’s vitally important that all consumers have the right to choose how they receive important communications from their service providers – free of charge – to assure that those who are unwilling or unable to access the internet are not disadvantaged.”

The Facts About Greenwashing

It has become commonplace for companies to encourage their customers to switch to from paper to electronic bills and statements with misleading claims that going paperless is “green.” These types of broad, unsubstantiated environmental claims, known as greenwashing, are not only misleading, but also fail to comply with established environmental marketing standards such as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Guides for Environmental Marketing Claims and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14021 standard.

“Statements like ‘Go Green, Go Paperless’ are not backed by sound science and fail to recognize the vast and growing negative environmental impacts of electronic communication,” Rowzie says. “These misleading claims damage consumers’ perceptions of paper and put at risk the livelihoods of more than 7 million people in the U.S. print, paper and mail sector.”

Two Sides continues to successfully challenge major corporations and other large organizations to eliminate misleading environmental claims about paper products from their customer communications. For more information about the Two Sides Anti-Greenwashing Campaign, visit www.twosidesna.org/anti-greenwash-campaign/.

 The 2023 Two Sides Trend Tracker Survey queried 1,000 respondents over age 18 across the United States. It is the second of Two Sides’ biennial trend tracker studies designed to explore and better understand consumer perceptions, behaviors and preferences related to the sustainability of paper products.

 ###

DOWNLOAD THE PRESS RELEASE HERE

About Two Sides North America

Two Sides North America (www.twosidesna.org) is part of the non-profit Two Sides global network which includes more than 600 member companies across North America, South America, Latin America, Europe, Australia and South Africa. Our mission is to dispel common environmental misconceptions and to inspire and inform businesses and consumers with engaging, factual information about the inherent environmental sustainability and enduring value of print, paper and paper-based packaging.

Media Contact:

Kathi Rowzie, President, Two Sides North America

P:  937-999-7729

E:  info@twosidesna.org

Two Sides North America Anti-Greenwashing Campaign Persuades 21 Leading Companies to Remove Unsubstantiated Environmental Claims in 1H23

Since its inception, the Two Sides North America Anti-greenwashing Campaign has eliminated literally billions of instances of paper-related greenwashing in the United States and Canada, and its engagement with large utilities, banks, insurers and other organizations during the first half of 2023 has added to this success.

During the first six months of 2023, 21 additional companies representing approximately 90 million customers have removed greenwashing messages such as “Go green, Go paperless” and  “Go paperless to help protect the environment” from their marketing communications.

“In addition to misleading consumers, these types of unsubstantiated environmental claims pose a serious threat to the economic security of the more than 7 million people whose livelihoods depend on a healthy North American paper, printing and mailing sector,” says Two Sides North America President Kathi Rowzie. “Our recent research found that 65% of consumers who’ve seen anti-paper greenwashing are influenced to go paperless.”

That same research found that the Two Sides Anti-greenwashing Campaign has preserved more than $300 million in annual revenue for the paper, printing and mailing sector over the last decade.

Two Sides challenges greenwashing companies to remove unsubstantiated environmental claims in a non-confrontational way, educating CEOs and other senior management with facts from credible, third-party sources that clearly demonstrate the unique sustainability characteristics of paper products and the solid and continually improving environmental record of the North American paper industry.

“Paper is one of the few products on earth that already has an environmentally sustainable, circular life cycle,” Rowzie says. “North American paper is made from an infinitely renewable natural resource – trees that are purpose-grown, harvested and regrown in sustainably managed forests. It’s manufactured using mostly renewable, carbon neutral bioenergy in a process that uses water, but in reality consumes very little of it. And paper products are recycled more than any other material in the U.S. municipal solid waste stream. But many consumers believe paper is bad for the environment because corporations and other organizations they trust are telling them so. The Two Sides Anti-greenwashing Campaign is working hard to change that.”

You can help Two Sides in the fight to eliminate anti-paper greenwashing and protect North American jobs. If you see instances of greenwashing, please email them as a PDF, JPG file or link to info@twosidesna.org.

For more facts about the sustainability of print and paper products, please visit www.twosidesna.org/mythsandfacts.

# # #

DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE HERE.

Media Contact:

Kathi Rowzie, President, Two Sides North America

E: info@twosidesna.org

P: 937-999-7729