Green Glossary

Absorbable Organic Halides. Measures the quantity of chlorinated organic compounds in mill wastes. It is also an indirect indicator of the quantity of elemental chlorine used in the bleaching process and the amount of lignin in the unbleached pulp before it enters the bleach plant.

Blue angel: This eco-label endorsed by the German Ministry for the Environment is designed as a response to the issues of both environmental protection and consumer protection. It requires the use of recycled fibres 100% post consumer and prohibits the use of optical brightening agents.

European Eco-label: Under the European eco-labelling system, products are assessed against a set of environmental and performance criteria. A product must fulfil all the criteria in order to be awarded the EU eco-label. These environmental criteria take into account all aspects of a product's life, from its production and use to its eventual disposal.

FSC: The Forest Stewardship Council is an international non-profit organisation promoting responsible management of the worlds forests in accordance with exacting environmental, social and economic regulations. FSC is recognised by Greenpeace and WWF as being the only credible international certification system.

ISO 14001: Internationally recognised environmental management standard. Based on the principle of continual improvement, it aims to identify, verify and reduce a business's environmental impact.

ISO 9001: International Quality Management Standard.

An environmental management tool implemented by an organisation that, thanks to the principle of continuous improvement allows them to reduce their impact on the environment on an on going basis.

Vegetable inks contain vegetable oil instead of petroleum oil, which is a non-renewable resource. They have an extremely weak environmental impact.