Chelsea Ong
Monash University
Gitanjali Bedi
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Even though we are progressively transitioning towards a paperless society, world consumption of paper has grown significantly in the past decade. Approximately 2.4 million tons of paper is used in Australia alone each year, and nearly 50% of that ends up in the landfill.
Paper production is the root cause behind deforestation, desertification, and the loss of biodiversity. Nearly 4 billion trees are cut down each year to be used in paper industries. Furthermore, the paper-making process uses large volumes of water and chemicals to bleach the fibers and pulp, which in turn leads to environmental issues such as pollution and climate change.
With an increase in the amount of solid waste produced each year, many countries are running out of landfill space. Countries such as the United States and Australia have been exporting their recyclable materials to China, but as of last year, the Chinese government has enacted a ban to restrict the import of low-grade plastics and other materials that are hard to recycle (Downes, 2018). Without a local market for household recyclables, the average price of scrap paper has fallen from around AU$124 to AU$0 per ton, thus calling for the need to reuse paper as much as possible.
There are currently two variations of notebooks available—The Classic Paper Saver and the Leather Paper Saver—to appeal to a wider audience.
The Classic Paper Saver, the more basic of the two, comprises a faux leather cover with a spring steel wire binder, which allows the user to keep approximately 40–50 sheets of A4 sized paper in place without using staples or adhesives.
On the other hand, the Leather Paper Saver has a more professional touch. Unlike the Classic Paper Saver, it has a genuine leather cover and comes with an additional card and document insert made from washable kraft paper, which is water and tear resistant.
Both variations are sold without notepaper, and users are encouraged to insert single-sided printed paper to reduce paper waste. Once the notebook is filled, the user can simply replace the used notepaper with more old printouts, thus eliminating the need for an entirely new notebook.
The Paper Saver also provides printable lined and diary planner templates on their website, providing the user with the flexibility to customize the contents of the notebook.
As an architect, the founder noticed that stacks of single-sided printed draft designs were going obsolete each day at work. Not wanting the paper to go to waste, he fashioned a simple notebook cover out of cardboard and used the blank sides of his old draft sheets to scribble notes. He soon realized that this is an imminent problem in many other companies as well. Therefore, he started to think of how he could help himself and many others to put their scrap paper to good use, and he started to work on perfecting a design that is both functional and aesthetic.
As the pages of the Paper Saver notebook can be easily replaced after use, the notebook can be reused indefinitely. It also gives new life to single-sided printed paper, thus reducing the amount of paper waste produced by individuals and businesses. This could also result in an increase in awareness about the benefits of reusing and potentially spur other businesses to come up with innovations and products to help consumers reduce and reuse.
There is increasing awareness about sustainability and ethics. As the first of its kind in the market, Paper Saver has benefited from the sales of their product. Since it was first launched in 2015, the business has served tens of thousands of customers and is committed to helping more people reduce their paper waste.
Apart from launching notebooks for standard A4 sized paper, Paper Saver has also been trying to appeal to the American and Canadian market by producing a notebook specifically for letter sized paper.
Currently, the business is looking to expand their consumer base by launching a Kickstarter called Sparkle Paper Saver, which will cater to a younger audience.
The business meets four of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Responsible Consumption and Production, Life on Land, Life Below Water, and Climate Action.
The Paper Saver notebook allows individuals to make a conscious effort to reduce their paper usage. It can also serve as an example of how easily we can adopt recycling and reusing habits in our daily lives. Such innovations can inspire other businesses to work towards developing simple eco-friendly products for individuals and families, thus encouraging responsible consumption and production that will benefit both the consumers and the environment in the long run.
The pulp and paper industry is the largest contributor to deforestation, which endangers species and habitats. The paper production process also requires large amounts of water and releases toxic byproducts into the air, water, and soil. According to the 2018 National Waste Report by the Department of the Environment and Energy, Australia generated an estimated 67 million tons of waste during the period 2016–2017, with 5.6 million tons of that being paper and cardboard waste. By ensuring that we make the most of the paper we use and subsequently reducing our demand for paper, we would inevitably reduce our impact on the environment.
Previously, all Paper Saver notebooks came wrapped in a plastic cover, but following feedback from customers, a uniform decision was made to reduce unnecessary packaging to minimize plastic waste generated from the production of the notebook.
Lastly, it is important for us to equip children with the mindset, values, and skills needed in order to secure a healthy and sustainable future (Davis, 1998). With the launch of the new Sparkle Paper Saver, the business hopes to be able to improve awareness about climate change among children with the use of climate-related stickers and by giving them an opportunity to do their part.
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Michelle Lee, Co-Founder and Director
Paper Saver is an Australia-based company that is committed to designing a notebook that can help individuals reuse paper that would otherwise go to waste. Along with their upcoming Kickstarter project, they offer a range of products at different price points and aim to cater to the needs of various consumer groups.
The people behind Paper Saver believe that current recycling efforts are simply not enough to tackle the growing amount of waste produced globally. Instead of simply making eco-friendly notebooks out of recycled paper, they decided that it would be more cost and energy effective if users were able to upcycle and repurpose perfectly good printed paper.