City of Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant
Contact: Julie Weiss
Ph:650.494.7629
julie_weiss@city.palo-alto.ca.us
www.city.palo-alto.ca.us/cleanbay
The City of Palo Alto Switch to
Paper Processed Without Chlorine
Project Description
In 2001, in response to regional concerns about dioxin emissions, the City
of Palo Alto adopted a Dioxin policy “…to eliminate dioxin and its
subsequent release to the environment….” The Environmental
Compliance Division developed a set of action items it would pursue to
reduce dioxin emissions locally and regionally. One of these tasks was the
revision of the City’s purchasing specifications for office paper products
to provide process chlorine free (PCF) supplies. Before discussing the
selection of PCF paper, it’s important to understand the distinction
between paper types.
Natural resources saved each
year during paper manufacturing
due to Palo Alto’s switch to PCF
copy paper*:
Note: The City also later converted to unbleached and alternatively
bleached bathroom products. While not the focus of this factsheet, that
product information is also included below as it was part of the broader
goal to reduce dioxins emissions.
• Energy to power 30 Palo Alto
homes
• 511 trees
• 209,285 gallons of water
• 90 cubic yards of landfill space
*Based on 17,000 reams per year.
Compared with the previously
used 30% recycled-content paper
Definitions
Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF):
ECF bleaching process utilizes chlorine dioxide or sodium hypochlorite instead of chlorine gas as a
bleaching agent. Even though chlorine dioxide has "chlorine" in its name, its chemistry is different from
chlorine gas. ECF paper takes a positive step towards reducing dioxin releases. ECF papers may also
include recycled-content fiber.
Processed Chlorine Free (PCF) always contains feedstock fibers that meet EPA guidelines for postconsumer content. While the recycled-content portion may contain fibers that have been conventionally
bleached, the balance of the paper pulp is bleached without using any chlorine containing compounds.
Because PCF paper contains significant amounts of recycled-content fibers, PCF paper production can
also reduce water, energy, and virgin fiber demands. The term Processed Chlorine Free is trademarked
by the Chlorine Free Products Association (information below) but is nevertheless used vernacularly by
the paper industry.
Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) is reserved for virgin fiber papers. TCF papers do not use pulp produced
with chlorine or chlorine containing compounds as bleaching agents. Availability of these papers in the
United States is still minimal and expensive.
Verifying PCF claims
During our research on paper availability, it became evident that some individual paper companies’
definitions of PCF paper may be incongruent with the standard set above. To verify the authenticity of a
company’s bleaching process, the Chorine Free Products Association (CFPA) provides certification for
PCF and TCF papers. The City is interested in purchasing papers with this certification which verifies
which bleaching process is used, that old growth forest trees are not used for any of the virgin pulp, and
that the mill has no current or pending violations. As affordable certified papers become available, the
City will examine the feasibility of purchasing them. To date, City Purchasing staff has asked for a
written letter from paper manufactures confirming the PCF claim.
Current status
Because of dioxin reductions coupled with other natural resource conserving benefits of PCF paper, the
Palo Alto Purchasing and Environmental Compliance Divisions re-specified criteria for copy and
letterhead papers to require 100% recycled content PCF paper for City-wide operations. To test how well
the paper would work, various PCF copy and letterhead papers were tested in printers throughout the City
and the City’s print shop. Criteria for acceptance also included brightness, paper opacity, and cost.
Several papers performed well and so the most cost-effect choice at that time was selected.
The chart below shows Palo Alto paper choices and prices as of September 2002, and includes
information about alternative bleached bathroom products that were also phased in for use during 2002.
Copy paper:
Letterhead:
Encore 100DP. Also used Eureka! 100
(Fort James). 100% post-consumer content.
Approx. cost: $2.92 ream/4,440 rms .
Purchasing through Recycled Products Purchasing
Cooperative (cost increased 20% from previous
product-ECF 30% recycled-content paper in 1999).
RRPC information listed under Resources.
New Leaf Everest 100 PCF 24lb, cost: $9.31 per
ream (cost increased 3.44% from previous
product).
Hand towels:
Envision Acclaim-100% recycled, 40% postconsumer waste, unbleached (Fort James) cost:
$19.01/cs (cost decreased 26% from previous
product).
Toilet paper:
Envision Acclaim-100% recycled, >20% post
consumer content, ECF, (Fort James) cost:
$37.00/cs of 96 rolls (cost decreased 5% from
previous product).
Project impact:
Measuring reduced dioxin levels from the direct purchase of alternative office and bathroom papers is not
easily measurable. However, staff recognizes that the City can best contribute to reduced dioxin
1
White Paper No. 5-Environmental Comparison of Bleached Kraft Pulp Manufacturing Technologies,
Environmental Defense Fund, 1995.
production on both regional and national levels through its purchases, recognizing that dioxins cannot be
contained to geographic regions.
The City uses its letterhead as an opportunity to promote alternatively bleached paper with a tagline at the
bottom of all letterhead that reads: Printed on 100% recycled paper processed without chlorine. Printed
with soy-based ink. The paper change also served as a success story for a City Manager’s Office
Sustainability Program which used to the paper change to increase staff awareness about the positive
environmental impact that City purchases can make.
Future Plans
•
•
Work with the partner cities serviced by the RWQCP to expand these efforts into their jurisdictions.
Expand PCF paper in-house to include 11x 17 and cardstock, and utility insert paper.
Resources:
•
Association for Bay Area Governments Dioxins Task Force
Dioxin Free Paper Project: http://dioxin.abag.ca.gov/project_materials.htm
•
Chlorine Free Products Association
www.chlorinefreeproducts.org
CFPA promotes Total Chlorine Free (TCF) policies, programs, and technologies and products
throughout the world
•
Conservatree List of Environmental Papers
www.conservatree.com
Conservatree is a nonprofit catalyst and advocate for ecologically sustainable paper markets.
•
Printers National Environmental Assistance Center
www.pneac.org/sheets/all/paper.html
PNEAC assists regulatory agencies and technical assistance providers by delivering current,
reliable environmental compliance and pollution prevention information to printers, publishers,
and packagers.
•
Recycled Products Purchasing Cooperative
www.recycledproducts.org/
A cooperative that provides recycled copy paper and products at prices that meet or beat what
many businesses and public entities pay for non-recycled copy paper and products.