Prairie Pulp & Paper Inc., Winnipeg, Mb, Canada, has announced the production of straw-based copy paper. The new grade is made with 80% straw from "leftover by-product" of harvested wheat crops and 20% Forest Stewardship Council certified wood fiber. It is being marketed under the brand name Step Forward Paper.
The paper is being sold exclusively through Staples stores across Canada and online at Staples.ca, supported by Canadian national distributor Unisource Canada, which teamed up with Staples Canada to supply the new product. "Paper made from leftover straw produces high quality and performance that compares with other copy and printer papers," said Pete Gibel, VP of Merchandising at Staples Canada.
Step Forward Paper is currently being made at a paper mill in India. "Our goal is to establish a market that will support our plans to build a new state-of-the-art facility in the Canadian prairies in Manitoba, which will in turn enable us to produce this straw paper with an even smaller footprint," Jeff Golfman, Prairie Pulp & Paper president, explained.
As Golfman and Prairie Chairman Clayton Manness explain, phase one for the company is the manufacturing and importing of Step Forward Paper. Phase two will include constructing a state-of-the-art eco-mill in the Canadian prairies, where millions of tons of leftover straw are readily available.
TAPPI
http://www.tappi.org/