What Is FSC Certified Paper and Why Does It Matter for You?
When choosing paper for packaging, cards, tags, boxes, or printed products, you might have heard about FSC certified paper. If you're looking at selecting a material, however, you should be aware of what FSC certification really means and why it should be a consideration. There is no one right answer to sustainability. Paper also must provide the correct look, strength, foldability, and processability for its intended use.
These factors can impact the manufacturing process and the finished package for packaging buyers. Knowledge of the fiber type, paper weight, uses, and paper finishing options can help determine if an FSC certified paper grade is appropriate for a project.
What Is FSC Certified Paper?
FSC certified paper is made from FSC certified materials, including wood pulp and recycled fibers. The material is intended to be used in packaging applications and for printing, where it is important to consider both paper performance and environmental aspects.
TONLI-PLUS is black in color, which is developed through a wet-pulp dyeing process. The color permeates the material, so the white lines that can be seen on the surface when just the top is colored are less likely to show up when the folded edges are also colored. This is why the paper is ideal for products where clean and consistent edges are crucial.
Low VOC clean production is also used in the manufacturing process. The finished paper is also recyclable, giving companies another reason to consider environmentally friendly paper products.
What Are the Different Fiber Options?
FSC paper is not all the same. The grades available vary in the amount of recycled wood pulp and pure wood pulp.
TONLI-PLUS is made from 100% environmentally friendly recycled wood pulp. TONLI-LUX is a blend of 60% pure wood pulp and 40% recycled pulp. Both these choices enable customers to choose a material that meets the specifications of their packaging project.
The paper ranges from 110gsm to 450gsm. This means that it can be used for relatively light printed products and for more heavy duty packaging where more structure is needed.
Why Does FSC Certification Matter?
An important consideration for using FSC certified paper is its environmental characteristics. The paper is made with a low VOC process and has a carbon footprint around 35% less than that of conventional coated paper. It can also be recycled.
However, packaging applications require environmental characteristics only if the paper can function during the production process. The material should be able to withstand folding, cutting, printing and finishing as required for the final product.
It has different grades, which answer to those needs differently. Higher grades are used for boxes and higher level packaging, while lower grades are used for tags and cards.
It's this mix that makes FSC-certified paper relevant to buyers who wish to take environmental considerations into account, but not at the expense of manufacturing requirements.
How Do You Choose the Right Paper Weight?
The grammage required is dependent on the products you are making. The paper weight required for an invitation need not be the same as that used for a collector's box. Selecting a suitable weight helps ensure the material is used in the right application.
|
Paper weight |
Suitable applications |
Folding endurance |
| 120–150gsm | Items like hangtags, price tags, envelopes, invitations, greeting cards | ≥80 |
| 180–220gsm | Notebook covers, shopping bags, jewelry boxes, small gift boxes, cosmetic boxes | ≥90 |
| 250–300gsm | Including luxury packaging, cigar boxes, tea boxes and hardcover & album covers. | ≥100 |
| 320–350gsm | Jewelry boxes, luxury gift sets, and high-quality cosmetic sets. | ≥110 |
| 380–400gsm | Luxury gift boxes, collector boxes, heavy duty boxes, hardcover cases | ≥120 |
The heavier the grades, the greater the folding strength, which makes them more suitable for packaging with a higher requirement for folding strength.
Where Can FSC Certified Paper Be Used?
Lower weight grades can be used to make hangtags, price tags, envelopes, invitations, greeting cards, and box lining paper. These applications typically use a lighter sheet, which still offers an appropriate printed surface.
The material can be used for cosmetic packaging boxes, small gift boxes, jewelry boxes, shopping bags, notebook covers, and desk calendars with a weight ranging from 180 to 220gsm. These products need to accommodate more body and are still good to fold and convert.
The heavier grades include applications like luxury packaging boxes, cigar boxes, tea boxes, tobacco/gift boxes, hard cover packaging, albums, jewelry boxes, deluxe gift sets, collector's boxes, and heavy duty packaging.
This wide range of applications necessitates the careful selection of the grade suitable to the product and not just the heaviest paper that is available.
Can It Be Printed and Finished?
Packaging can be influenced by printing and finishing and can make a significant difference to the finished look. The FSC paper range can be hot stamped, UV printed, embossed, die-cut, creased, laminated and finished with spot UV.
It is also said to be "compatible" with traditional packaging post-processing and to have strong adhesion, no delamination and peeling, and excellent color reproduction in printing.
Print compatibility is co-developed for customized projects for offset or digital printing, including recommendations for ink matching. This gives the flexibility when a print effect must be achieved in a packaging design.
Another factor to take into account is color uniformity. The listed batch color difference is ΔE ≤ 0.5 to ensure uniform color and blackness across batches.
What Should You Consider Before Ordering?
Start at the end. Determine the grammage, thickness, stiffness, folding, printing and finishing specifications for the project. The appropriate grade will be determined by these factors.
The composition of fibers should also be appropriate to the project. Consider two options of material composition: 100% recycled wood pulp and 60% pure wood pulp/40% recycled pulp.
Options are available for customization of weight, sheet or roll cutting, surface finish, and ratio of recycled fiber. A variety of finishes, including matte and high gloss, as well as special grammage, thickness and bulk density options, are available and can be customized for bulk orders.
If necessary, relevant FSC and environmental compliance certificates can be supplied.
When packaging specifications vary, TONLI's paper assures weight and fiber variations to meet various product demands and is also certified to FSC.
Conclusion
FSC certified paper is important because it introduces the concept of environment to a material which is still subject to the functional demands of an actual packaging production. The FSC certification is just one of the several factors to consider besides the certification, including the use of sustainable wood pulp, recycled fibers, low VOC manufacturing, recyclable properties, and different paper weights.
The final selection will depend on the application. Different grades may be required for tags and cards, and more structure and folding strength is needed in luxury boxes and collector packaging. Shape, size, and printing/finishing requirements should also be taken into account when evaluating material options.
When evaluating the fiber composition, weight, performance and processing requirements, paper buyers can select the most suitable paper for the desired final product. For companies in the process of making a feasible paper selection for their packaging applications, TONLI offers various material and specification choices through its FSC certified paper products.
