Glossary of Environmental Terms

Environmental Glossary Terms

   Welcome to the Glossary of Environmental Terms

This extensive Glossary of Terms pertaining to the environment were provided by Robert Horne Group. Robert Horne Group is part of the Paperlinx family.  

A

ABCD Scheme
An initiative in the UK designed to classify the type and amount of recycled fibre in a paper product. The scheme grades four types of waste used in paper manufacture, as follows:
A - Wood free, approved own mill waste (waste that has not left the mill. i.e. mill broke).
B - Wood free unprinted waste (waste that has left the mill but not reached the consumer, typically from the printer or converter).
C - Wood free printed waste (post consumer waste, collected from homes, offices etc).
D - Printed mechanical waste (post consumer waste, typically newspapers).
To be classified as recycled the grade has to contain no less than 50% of the total fiber from any combination of the above sources, with the percentages given for each. Therefore Cairngorm is 15A/65B/10C (90% recycled in total with the remainder being virgin fiber).

AOX
Absorbable Organic Halogens. Collective term for the halogen compounds (chlorine, fluorine, bromine and iodine) bound to organic substances, for example in waste water from the mill. The compounds arise when bleaching with chlorine-containing chemicals although they can also occur naturally and are potentially detrimental to water quality. The lower the AOX level the better.

B

Biofuels
Fuels from renewable raw materials such as bark, black liquor, logging residues and effluent sludge.

Blue Angel
A German environmental label, which covers many products, including paper. It takes a ‘cradle to grave’ approach, considering manufacture and disposal as well as product use.

C

Chain of Custody
The means of tracking a product along the supply chain. For instance, being able to trace paper from the forest of origin, through pulp and paper mill, paper merchant and printer to the end user. Often a third party audits the Chain of Custody system, as with the FSC and PEFC schemes.

CHP
Combined Heat and Power. A power-generating unit that provides heat and electricity on site rather than drawing energy from the grid. CHP units can have the benefit of proportionally lower emissions to air than power stations. Many paper mills use CHP.

CSR
Corporate Social Responsibility. The continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large, including the environment.

D

Dioxins
Dioxins are organ chlorines, unwanted and toxic by-products formed in papermaking when chlorine from bleaching combines with molecules in wood. They are also formed during the manufacture of PVC. Dioxins have been linked with hormone disruption and an increased risk of cancer. Both the paper and plastics industries have made major reductions to the release of dioxins in recent years.

DIP
De-inked pulp. Pulp consisting of fiber from paper previously printed, which has had the ink removed.

E

ECF
Elemental Chlorine Free. Paper pulp bleached without the use of elemental chlorine but instead using some chlorine dioxide, along with non-chlorine agents such as oxygen. Pulps using ECF methods contain up to 0.5kg of AOX per ton of air-dried pulp.

EMAS
Eco-Management and Audit Scheme. The European Union’s regulated environmental management<