Everyone knows paper is made from trees and that recycling paper reduces the number of trees that need to be cut down, but wood pulp isn’t the only component of paper.  Traditional paper also contains up to 30% calcium carbonate, an abundant mineral with many industrial applications.

That fact prompted Mary Loyer to ask herself these questions: Is there another option to recycling paper?  What other eco-friendly materials are available?  Why not sell paper made not from trees at all, but mostly from calcium carbonate?  Thus was born Natural Source Printing Inc, which Loyer founded in 2007.  Among the many eco-friendly materials it offers for packaging, printing, and marketing materials, FiberStone™ Paper—made with no trees—has become its flagship product. 

FiberStone Paper is made from 80% calcium carbonate and 20% non-toxic resin (HDPE) High Density Polyethylene.  According to Natural Source Printing, FiberStone Paper requires zero trees and no water to manufacture.  The calcium carbonate comes from limestone collected as waste material from existing quarries for the building and construction industry.  For comparison, a ton of recycled paper uses four trees, generates two tons of waste, and requires 9,000 gallons of water. 

Natural Source Printing joined the CarbonFree Small Business Program to further its commitment to the environment.  “Carbonfund.org fit a number of the parameters we were searching for,” said Loyer.  “It’s a not-for-profit, which means it’s mission driven with no ulterior motives.  I’ve always loved the motto—Reduce What You Can, Offset Set What You Can’t—and I promote it to all my clients.”

Natural Source Printing offers consulting services to help match companies find that material that furthers their goals and complements their messages.  “The way for green to work for companies is for it to make sense within the way they do business,” said Loyer.  “Some companies might think it would be hard to do, but when I speak to a client, it’s a matter of finding the right material to fit their marketing campaign, and to make it clear to their customer how they are doing their part.”