Pulp Non-Fiction: Inspiration in Unlikely Places
You may find it strange that a paper company would feature alcoholic beverages in its newsletter but New Leaf Paper and many craft alcoholic beverage companies have a lot in common.
Traditionally, paper and alcoholic beverages use farmed raw materials, require a significant amount of water and energy to produce, and leave behind “waste” products. Craft brewers often send spent grains, a waste product of the brewing process to local farms to be used as animal feed, and at New Leaf we make our products from post-consumer waste. Our featured Sierra Nevada Brewing Company even won the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Business of the Year award for its zero waste policy that diverted 99.5% of solid waste from landfill.
Sierra Nevada Brewing is also a leading innovation in energy production that will serve as an example across many industries. New Leaf Paper purchases renewable energy credits to offset 100% of its energy use and works with end users to evaluate their paper use impact.
Paper and alcohol are not often regarded as leaders in driving a better future for our planet but our industries have a lot of opportunities to rethink and reinvent how our products are made and consumed.
Make a resolution this year to find inspiration in unlikely places and inspire sustainability in your industry!
In Celebration,
Jeff Mendelsohn
