MIDLAND Launches Carbon Balanced Paper in North America to help Organizations Reduce the Carbon Impact of their Paper and Print Communications

MIDLAND is now offering Carbon Balanced Paper in North America, administered by the Sustainable Paper Group, and in partnership with the World Land Trust (WLT), an international conservation charity. This is a well-established and successful program in Europe with over 3,000 organizations taking positive action by choosing carbon balanced paper to preserve the most critically endangered places on earth, acre by acre.

The launch in North America will help organizations reduce the carbon footprint of their printed media and meet their commitments toward carbon reduction by addressing the unavoidable carbon emissions from the paper manufacturing process. At the same time, choosing Carbon Balanced Paper allows organizations to simply and effectively differentiate themselves as market leaders in environmental responsibility.

“MIDLAND is excited to announce the first major Carbon Balanced Paper initiative in North America. Many of our customers have stated objectives to reduce their net carbon impact, and Carbon Balanced Paper is an effective and credible tool to help them achieve these important sustainability goals.”, states David Goldschmidt, President of Midland’s National division.

The Carbon Balanced Paper program balances the carbon impact of paper by investing in WLT projects that protect land under real and imminent threat of clearance. Through the purchase of land in ecologically important standing forests, carbon is locked that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. These protected forests are then able to continue absorbing carbon. To date, the WLT has funded the protection of 2.22 million acres and the planting of 2.29 million trees.

Goldschmidt mentions that there are valuable side benefits from preserving this land as well, such as protecting wildlife and endangered species, and managing invasive plants.

The Carbon Balanced Paper program follows the principles of REDD+ (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), now recognized as one of the fastest and most effective ways to stop the rise in atmospheric CO2 and global warming effects. Deforestation and forest degradation account for approximately 11 per cent of carbon emissions, more than the entire global transportation sector and second only to the energy sector. Therefore, forest protection and restoration must play a central role in the fight against climate change.

When using Carbon Balanced Paper, a unique logo can be added to print projects serving as a high-visibility demonstration of a brand or organization’s commitment to the environment. Users will also receive a certificate from WLT which highlights the amount of CO2 that has been balanced and the area of land preserved.

Commenting on the North American launch of the Carbon Balanced Paper initiative, Phil Riebel, President of Sustainable Paper Group, says, “I am very excited to be working with MIDLAND on this new sustainability initiative. We believe we have a great solution for the marketplace given the rapidly growing awareness and urgency of addressing climate change, and the increasing number of organizations making carbon reduction commitments. Our partnership with the World Land Trust is such a key part of the credibility of this program. It has a global reach that protects some of the world’s most biodiverse and endangered habitats.”
Sir David Attenborough, Patron of World Land Trust says, “The money that is given to the World Land Trust, in my estimation, has more effect on the wild world than almost anything I can think of.”

Dr. Gerard Bertrand, Honorary President of World Land Trust, says: “We are delighted this program is now being extended to North America and Canada. It is a great opportunity for brands and organizations to support the work of World Land Trust, protecting land of high conservation importance rich in its biodiversity. This is real action in real places.”

For more information on Carbon Balanced Paper visit:
www.carbonbalancedpaperna.com 
https://carbonbalancedpaperna.com/faqs/