FutureMark Paper Co., based in Alsip, Ill., is introducing two new initiatives that it says will further improve its environmental performance. The company already notes that it is the first North American paper company that produces coated paper containing 100 percent recycled paper.
“Making recycled paper in an environmentally friendly way has long been a point of pride for FutureMark and our employees,” says Steve Silver, president & CEO of FutureMark Paper Co. “With these two advancements, we’re further reducing the environmental impact of our manufacturing processes, while returning nutrients to the earth and making incremental improvements to our very high-quality recycled paper.”
The first initiative the company is touting is its use of EcoSynthetix, EcoSphere and biolatex binding agents in its paper coating formula instead of the traditional chemical binders derived from petroleum that’s used by most of the paper industry.
The company says it is the first North American paper manufacturer to incorporate this new biolatex coating ingredient, derived from 100 percent renewable feedstock, in its commercial production process.
The second initiative that FutureMark is touting is the development of an agricultural lime alternative. The company has developed FutureMark High-Calcium Paper Lime (HCPL), a soil nutrient made from reclaimed paper.
The company notes that it “washes” more than 18 semi trucks of recovered fiber each day. The extracted materials, including short paper fibers, inks, fillers and coating minerals, are high in calcium and have nutritive properties similar to agricultural lime, which is a common fertilizer supplement.
FutureMark HCPL can be used to balance soil pH, as well as to enrich soil with a high concentration of calcium, an essential plant nutrient. It has been approved for agricultural use in Illinois and Indiana.
Steve Silver, president and CEO of FutureMark, will be one of the speaker at Recycling Today’s annual Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show, June 13-15 in Chicago.
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