Did you know that the manufacturing of paper utilizes about 55% virgin wood pulp? And of that virgin wood, 16% comes from plantation forests, 30% from second growth forests and 9% from old growth forests. And while plantation forests can provide wildlife habitat and some soil protection, they are susceptible to disease and thus generate pesticide use like other large scale agriculture. Also, the frequent site preparation and harvesting can degrade the soil. Additionally, the higher the quality and strength of the paper, the higher the virgin wood content, because recycled paper is usually downgraded into lesser paper.

It takes between two and three and a half tons of trees to make a ton of paper, and the process of doing so requires a huge amount of energy, water (44,000-83,000 liters per ton of paper), and chemicals, as well as creating significant water and air pollution, and solid waste. In the U.S., the pulp and paper industry is the second largest industrial consumer of energy.

Paper mills are notorious for the foul aromas they emit and are one of the worst polluting industries in the U.S., according to the government’s Toxic Release Industry Report. Some of the pollutants released into the air by these mills include nitrous oxides, sulfur oxides, acetone, methanol, chlorine compounds, hydrochloric and sulfuric acids, and carbon monoxide. Much of the air and water pollution is generated in the bleaching process which generates the brightest white paper, generally utilizing some form of chlorine.

And while more paper is being recycled each year, it’s simply not enough to keep up with the increasing global demand for paper and paperboard, so buying paper products made of recycled content, slows the degradation, but doesn’t stop it. As Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, and Hunter Lovins point out in Natural Capitalism, the highest gains in both savings and improved environmental impact are through reduced consumption, as it reduces the need for resources at every step along the way.

Lagniappe will track the number of trees saved each year and the amount of landfill deemed unnecessary due to purchase and use of our fabric gift bags.

Our calculations show that one average-size tree is saved for every 802 jewel size bags, 266 wine size bags, 157 regular size bags, 69 large size bags, or 43 extra large bags sold. Additionally, there will be less landfill space needed for the gift wrap, paper ribbon, and boxes that will no longer be needed. For a complete breakdown of how the Tree Count and Landfill Space Saved is calculated, please send us an email at environment@lagniappegiftwrap.com.

Go Organic!
We also feel strongly that all Lagniappe brand gift bags should be from organic fabrics, low impact dyes, and reusable, biodegradable ribbon. Unfortunately, the options available to us with these characteristics are aesthetically limited and expensive. As Lagniappe grows, we will incorporate these elements into all of our design lines, element by element, one design at a time, as we can. There are many steps we can take to become more environmentally friendly and as each step becomes doable, you have our word that it will be done. For the moment, you should note we don't make gift bags of polyester, a fabric made from petroleum, as that is a natural resource that has already cost humanity too much in environmental, social and political costs. Instead, all bags are made from natural fibers or from recycled materials.

No Sweatshops.
Finally, Lagniappe will work only with manufacturers that abide by the Fair Labor Association’s Code of Conduct. We will not work with factories that have unsafe or unhealthy environments, practices or policies. We will not work with factories that don’t pay their employees a living wage. We won’t work with factories that employ children or require their workers to work more than a 48 hour regular work week. In essence, Lagniappe pledges to never work with any factory that might be characterized as a sweatshop. We believe that business is tool to improve our world, and abusing workers in any country lessens all of our lives in the long run. For more information on our manfacturing, click here to learn about Unwrapped, Inc. of Lowell, Massachusetts, where all our manufacturing is done.

Statistics, information, and references given here are from Abramovitz and Mattoon, “Recovering the Paper Landscape,”
— State of the World 2000.