Have been Looking into different substrates and came accross Fibre Stone and Paper Rocks paper. Has anyone used or looked into this substrate ? Interested to find out how well it performs and if it lives up to its environmental claims. Here is a small article plus the website links: http://blogs.whattheythink.com/going-green/2009/04/mineral-based-papers-and-recyclability http://paperocks.com/index.html http://www.getfiberstone.com/what-is-fiberstone®/ Also interested on feedback regarding the use of biodegradable PVC.
Interested, but skeptical. The paperrocks paper says "mixed together with a small portion of NON-toxic plastic and resin" -- I wonder how much (non renewable) plastic and resin is in it and how this is "ecological" vs. the renewable wood pulp... Further, for recyclability, it says "When left out in the sunlight & heat, it will naturally crack and decompose back into powder form over an 8-12 month period. In nature, egg shells are also composed primarily of calcium carbonate and the decomposition traits are virtually identical." My first concern is what this means for the durability for items in direct sunlight. (yea, I suppose if a customer's brochures are still in the rack after 12 months, that's a bigger issue, but still I don't like the idea of them falling apart on their own, or booklets or books I printed with the stuff if used for reference on a sunny shelf.) Further, what happens to the little bit of "plastic and resin" if it's left to decompose vs. be recycled in a dedicated recycling channel like conventional paper. We need more diverse and interesting choices in environmental papers to appeal to the environmental printing material market, so I'm interested, but skeptical.
Yes, I'm skeptical too; hence the reason I posted here. It seems that while yes it is technicaly recycable, it can not be sent out with your ordinary paper recycle pickup. (One alarm bell rings here: How is the end user ment to know that the paper isn't a conventional paper, and needs not to be put in the paper recyling bin, but in with plastics.) PaperRocks rep stated they have had no negative issues regarding decomposition "cracking" through hanging in windows etc.. I get the feeling that maybee this product would be suited to indoors stationery. "These substrates are made from inorganic mineral powders derived from limestone and calcium carbonate, with a trace amount of non-toxic resin and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) as a binding agent. Generally about 20% of the ingredients for the film/paper is HDPE." Can FiberStone® Paper be recycled? According to the manufacturer: Yes, It can be recycled to make new FiberStone® Paper or other plastic products such as lumber, furniture, or receptacle bins. FiberStone Paper can also be recycled in the building & construction industry, waste treatment, steel manufacturing, farming, and glass making. Can Paperocks products be recycled? According to the manufacturer: Paperocks paper can be recycled along with plastics, or simply discarded with ordinary trash, due to its bio-degradable characteristics. "Paper rocks rep" Under extreme heat and over a long period of time if it is exposed directly to sunlight it would show some cracking in the paper, such as if you were to crack an egg prior to consumption. yes you are right the paper does turn brittle and like an eggshell. But we have not experienced any print issues with our paper hanging on the wall or even near the glass. Probably because of UV glass these days and the printers sometimes add coating to the top layer of the ink.
