LIVING TREE PAPER COMPANY makes paper with the highest percentages possible of agricultural and post-consumer recycled fibers. When using anything from virgin wood we make sure it is sustainably harvested under Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) guidelines-see Terminology.

Our pulps are processed without the use of chlorine or chlorine derivatives. Bleaching without chlorine or chlorine compounds results in a much less polluting paper-making process.

Agricultural fibers such as hemp and flax are the most progressive choice in fibers for use in paper pulps. There are millions of acres of unused farmland that could be used to grow bast fiber crops to replace trees for pulp and paper fiber. Using nonwood fibers is a huge step in moving away from cutting trees for paper commodities. Pulp and paper accounts for approximately 40% of deforestation worldwide.

Agricultural fiber cultivation, when done sustainably, is an excellent source of virgin pulp for papermaking. Fiber yield from agricultural fiber cultivation appears to be higher than that from tree farms (as infrastructure around pulping agricultural fibers develops, we will get a clearer understanding of exactly how the agricultural fiber yield compares to that of a tree farm).

The cultivation of agricultural fibers for a wider range of industrial uses offers hope to farmers as a boost to the economy of rural areas.