Green words - Need help deciphering acronyms and technical jargon? Here are the most common terms used to describe green office products in plain language.
Glossary
If you have a specific green term you would like to learn the meaning of, just scroll down, or select from the list of quick links listed to the right.
Chain of custody
The path taken by raw materials, process materials and products, from the forest to the consumer, including all successive stages of processing, transformation, manufacturing and distribution.
Elemental chlorine
Uses elemental chlorine to bleach pulp. Organochlorines are a significant component of effluent from pulp mills that still use chlorine compounds to bleach. Many organochlorines have been shown to have toxic effects and have been linked to health problems, such as cancer, birth defects, endometriosis, low sperm counts, and impaired foetal development. Organochlorines have also been shown to cause genetic damage and low survival rates of salmon and other fish. Organochlorines can last a long time in the environment (they are persistent) and build up in soils and animal, including human, tissues (they bioaccumulate). In the U.S. elemental chlorine was phased out as of April 2001 per EPA’s Cluster Rule. *Source: The Pulp Pollution Primer, Reach For Unbleached Foundation, 1999.
Elemental chlorine free (ECF)
Replaces elemental chlorine with chlorine dioxide. Chlorine dioxide is a severe short and long term respiratory irritant at levels above 0.1 ppm and potentially fatal at high levels. Source: Reach for Unbleached Foundation, Health Effects of Pulp Mill Production.
ECF with extended or oxygen delignification (enhanced ECF)
Removes more of the lignin before bleaching, thus reducing energy and chemical use during bleaching process. Enhanced ECF with ozone or hydrogen peroxide uses ozone or hydrogen peroxide as the brightening agent in the initial stages of the bleaching process. The final or near final stage uses chlorine dioxide.
Endangered forest
High conservation value forests (or parts thereof) that are so rare, threatened, or ecologically vulnerable, and are of such global biological importance that any logging or commercial use could irreparably damage their conservation value.
Forest certification
Is the process by which the environmental, social, and economic integrity of forest management is measured and verified by a credible third party
Forest stewardship council (FSC)
Is an independent, membership-based organization that brings people together to promote responsible management of the World’s forest through developing standards, a certification system, and trademark recognition. It provides accreditation services for companies and organizations interested in responsible forestry.
FSC-certified
A product, process or service that has been certified by an FSC-accredited certification body as being in compliance with an applicable FSC-endorsed standard.
FSC-eligible products
Products that are approved by an FSC-accredited certification body as being covered by the scope of a chain of custody certificate, and that meet the minimum content requirements for FSC labeling.
FSC-pure wood/fibre
Virgin or fibre wood which originates from an FSC-certified forest and is sold as ‘pure wood/fibre’ by the holder of a valid FSC chain of custody or joint forest management and chain of custody certificate.
Processed chlorine free (PCF) and totally chlorine free (TCF)*
The terms Processed chlorine free (PCF) and Totally chlorine free (TCF) refer to paper produced by substituting oxygen-based compounds for chlorine or chlorine compounds in the bleaching process. Processed chlorine free (PCF) means no chlorine compounds were used in the creation of the useable product. Paper with recycled content is PCF because it is not possible to know whether the recycled fibres come from paper products that were originally bleached using chlorine compounds. Totally chlorine free refers to paper made using 100% virgin fibres only.
Post-consumer waste
Recovered paper material of those products generated by business or consumers which have served their intended end uses, and which have been separated or diverted from solid waste for the purpose of collection and recycling.
Pre-consumer waste
Paper generated after completion of the paper making process but never reaching the consumer. This waste can be mill broke or paper waste returned to the mill as a pulp substitute.
Recycled fibre
Fibre which has been reclaimed from a previous product and reprocessed and incorporated into a new product. Sources of fibre for recycling may be reclaimed pre-consumer or reclaimed post-consumer material.
SFI
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative program is a comprehensive system of principles, objectives, and performance measures developed by foresters, conservationists, and scientists, that combines the perpetual growing and harvesting of trees with the protection of wildlife, plants, soil, and water quality.
Virgin wood
Wood, whether in the form of roundwood, sawnwood, or industrial co-products or by-products which are traceable to forest sources.