At the January Bookbuilders meeting a record-breaking (and highly attentive!) crowd appeared to hear Tom Rymsza, founder and president of Vision Paper, speak about kenaf paper and its environmentally positive benefits. "Can you smoke it?" jokes aside (from those who confuse kenaf with hemp), Tom described his trailblazer paper as an alternative for people with vision. Coupled with his sincere thanks to Esprit, the Earth Island Institute, The Gap, Apple, Fetzer Vineyards, and David Brower and HarperCollinsWest (Let the Mountains Talk, Let the Rivers Run is the first trade title published on kenaf) for "blazing trails," Tom appealed to publishers to consider using kenaf as an environmentally friendly alternative to tree-based papers.
What Is Kenaf?
Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) is native to Africa and is related to cotton and okra. Its 240 varieties have been researched by the USDA for over 40 years; kenaf has been identified as the most viable plant to replace trees in paper making. Kenaf contains approximately 25 percent less lignin than wood fiber, which translates into lower chemical and energy requirements in the pulping process. During the paper-making process and on press, kenaf behaves much like a wood-based uncoated offset paper; two American mills in the South are currently providing machine time for Vision Paper and report that the manufacturing process runs smoothly.
The Benefits
As a paper, kenaf is chlorine-free, acid-free, and is fully recyclable. It has a naturally high opacity (93 for 45#, 95 for 52#) with a brightness of 70. Rolls, sheets, and 60# cover stock are available now, with 70# cover stock coming soon. Given current limited demand (and thus Tom's appeal to publishers), the price of kenaf is about equivalent to paper containing 100 percent postconsumer waste, and is about double the cost of equivalent grades of virgin paper. Vision Paper's future plans to build its own mill (which will consolidate the current manufacturing process) can reduce the price of kenaf to virgin paper prices, according to Tom. Its lower lignin content, easy pulpability, and lower energy and chemical manufacturing requirements all will contribute to reduced prices in the long run. Again, as with recycled paper and TCF paper, demand is key to reducing price and increasing availability.
Vision Paper is the only producer of tree-free paper in the United States. With a crop of 2,000 acres last year, Vision Paper expects to increase planting to approximately 20,000 acres in the next few years. By comparison, China grew over one million acres of kenaf last year, and Japan is purchasing considerable amounts from Thailand. Currently ten percent of the world's paper is made from non-tree sources; indeed, Tom expects his greatest competition to come from overseas sources. Vision Paper's crops in Mississippi yield six to ten tons of fiber per acre in a four to five month growing period. Neither government subsidies nor crop loans are available to farmers growing kenaf in Mississippi; sustainable agricultural practices, including moderate water requirements, crop rotations instead of fertilizers, and no pesticide use (since the stalk, as opposed to the leaves, are used for pulp), help enable these farmers to make money growing the crop. Clearly, Vision Paper's mission is to set a standard of environmental stewardship that others in the paper industry will follow.
Those of you who were unable to attend this informative dinner meeting should peruse a copy of David Brower's book (mentioned above) or a copy of the Earth Island Journal (available at newsstands in bookstores or through the Earth Island Institute) to see for yourself what a fine paper kenaf is. Kenaf is a proven alternative to tree-based paper and helps address many of the environmental problems and issues facing the forest-products industry as well as consumers who want to spend their dollars on products that are not linked to deforestation and the hazards of chlorine-based bleaching. As Tom states, "commitment, creativity, diversity, and drive were required to create this paper. These same qualities will be needed to make kenaf a mainstream source of fiber for all paper products in the future."