The United States Postal Service’s priority flat rate envelope is the envelope that made from post-consumer waste, such as disposable cardboard and paper plates. USPS claims that its envelops meet the Cradle to cradle certification, which is a certification given by Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institution1. The core value of the cradle to cradle standard is to utilize safe materials in a continuous and environmentally sustainable way. The institution designed and is continuing to refresh the cradle to cradle standard2. The only cardboard supplier that had been cradle to cradle certified is a company from Belgium called VPK packaging3. The company claims that their paper product is 100% recyclable and was made from recyclable materials.
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Instead, it buys treated paper board from other companies, due to the abundance of recycling companies in Europe. Therefore, the raw materials required to make an envelope do not involve or rely on any logging or environmental destruction. Moreover, treated paper is easier to transport, making less carbon emission than making paper from tree trunks. The environmental cost of collecting paper and transporting it to infrastructure remain little but carbon emission from transportation. While producing paper, VPK packaging owns a special and secret technique that allow it to clean the original ink from paper boards, creating white paper pulp. According to the company, there is no additional chemicals applied in this process3. Besides, in order for VPK packaging to receive cradle to cradle certificate, the company cannot utilize traditional whitener such as chlorine, thereby creating less air and water pollution2. Furthermore, the company have been developing efficient and sustainable energy strategies that not long decrease the cost of manufacture but also creating less environmental destruction. By using most optimized technology, renewable energy source and cogeneration power supply, the company committed high environmental goal and is running at the pioneer role in paper production industry. However, VKP still creates environmental damages or potential risks to its employees and surrounding areas in both water …show more content…
VKP shows that all of the water utilized during paper production comes from surface streams and self-circulating reservoirs. After the production, the engine pumps water to the purification station, before it is released to where it comes from. However, averagely 1 ton of paper pulp requires from 4500 to 17000 gallons of water.4 Amount of water required is significant and draining water from ground streams will potentially cause environmental losses4. Moreover, the byproducts from such a substantial amount water treating is large, toxic and might cause health damage to surrounding areas. According to the handbook of industrial water treatment, energy consumption increase exponentially when trying to achieve purer water quality5. Considering the amount of water consumed in paper production and required to purify, energy cost and human labor of treating water is significantly impacting on local environment5. Furthermore, potential leakage of water treatment system is a risk to local environment and human health, because often, water treatment plants utilize chemicals to treat water. If leakage happen, the surrounding area will suffer. For instance, august 11th 2016, a leakage of chlorine happened in a water treatment plant in southwest Detroit. Huge plume of chlorine gas ran to the residential neighborhood6. Although being contained soon enough to cause further damage, two employees
Instead, it buys treated paper board from other companies, due to the abundance of recycling companies in Europe. Therefore, the raw materials required to make an envelope do not involve or rely on any logging or environmental destruction. Moreover, treated paper is easier to transport, making less carbon emission than making paper from tree trunks. The environmental cost of collecting paper and transporting it to infrastructure remain little but carbon emission from transportation. While producing paper, VPK packaging owns a special and secret technique that allow it to clean the original ink from paper boards, creating white paper pulp. According to the company, there is no additional chemicals applied in this process3. Besides, in order for VPK packaging to receive cradle to cradle certificate, the company cannot utilize traditional whitener such as chlorine, thereby creating less air and water pollution2. Furthermore, the company have been developing efficient and sustainable energy strategies that not long decrease the cost of manufacture but also creating less environmental destruction. By using most optimized technology, renewable energy source and cogeneration power supply, the company committed high environmental goal and is running at the pioneer role in paper production industry. However, VKP still creates environmental damages or potential risks to its employees and surrounding areas in both water …show more content…
VKP shows that all of the water utilized during paper production comes from surface streams and self-circulating reservoirs. After the production, the engine pumps water to the purification station, before it is released to where it comes from. However, averagely 1 ton of paper pulp requires from 4500 to 17000 gallons of water.4 Amount of water required is significant and draining water from ground streams will potentially cause environmental losses4. Moreover, the byproducts from such a substantial amount water treating is large, toxic and might cause health damage to surrounding areas. According to the handbook of industrial water treatment, energy consumption increase exponentially when trying to achieve purer water quality5. Considering the amount of water consumed in paper production and required to purify, energy cost and human labor of treating water is significantly impacting on local environment5. Furthermore, potential leakage of water treatment system is a risk to local environment and human health, because often, water treatment plants utilize chemicals to treat water. If leakage happen, the surrounding area will suffer. For instance, august 11th 2016, a leakage of chlorine happened in a water treatment plant in southwest Detroit. Huge plume of chlorine gas ran to the residential neighborhood6. Although being contained soon enough to cause further damage, two employees