PaperStone Products

Choosing to use recycled paper products is a relatively simple way to reduce our impact on our waning tree population, and the people at PaperStone Products have some of the most eco-friendly materials on the market.  Using recycled paper as the main content in their hard surfaces in buildings has allowed them to become certified by the Smartwood program of The Rainforest Alliance to Forest standards.  Because it is made of 100% recycled products, it can also add to LEED (USGBC ’s rating standard for sustainable buildings) certification for buildings.  In addition to reaching certification standards, PaperStone was also included on the GreenBuilding.com top 10 green building products list back in 2006.

There are different types of recycled content out there, don’t let the bombardment of the word “recycle” confuse you, here is a breakdown of what the terms mean:

Post consumer content: made from products that have already served their initial purpose to the consumers (me, you, offices, schools etc)

Pre consumer content: made from the waste+scraps in the manufacturing process (most likely the company you’re purchasing from)

Using 100% post-consumer products to create their line of surface products, Paper Stone Products is one step closer to closing the loop on our paper supply.  If we are able to embrace our increasingly digital world of communication, we can decrease our consumption of paper, allowing our trees to stand tall and soak up the large amounts of carbon dioxide in the air. 

Turning paper from this:
To these finished countertops:


We will most likely never stop using paper, but what we use can certainly have less environmental impact than it does now.  By using post consumer content, Paper Stone has found a way to recycle our “waste” and give it a new purpose. 

Leslie Bloom
LEED Accredited Professional