September 8, 2023

Janessa Angela Alerre

10th Grade

George Washington High School

Every year, one billion trees worth of paper are utilized and discarded. Yet the increasing rate at which trees are cut down annually is abetted by the even quicker rate at which paper is discarded daily. Paper is made of a thin, non-woven material that is usually created from a blend of fibers and milled plants. Paper can be used in a plethora of ways, such as writing, drawing, wrapping, printing, etc. After it has finished its assumed purpose, this paper is too quickly thrown away and the vast majority of it ends up in landfills. This means that we are effectively taking away from our habitats for a purpose that also adversely impacts our planet. These facts are simply ignored by the general public, and thus, plantable seed paper presents a promising solution to this crisis.

Although it is general knowledge that paper is largely sourced from trees, most don’t understand how paper is initially created. First, cellulose fibers are derived from trees or plants; they are used to create paper because of their qualities such as strength and flexibility. Next, the cellulose fibers are extracted to create a pulp. Then, on a paper-making machine, the pulp is mixed with water and then spread out to be sanded, dried, whitened, and cut into papers and rolls. It is then packaged, transported, and distributed for worldwide use. Yet every year the average American uses more than 700 pounds of paper, which are then thrown into landfills once they no longer serve a purpose. 

Instead of using traditional paper that ends up trashing our environment, an alternate solution is plantable seed paper produced by eco-friendly companies like Botanical Paperworks. Plantable seed paper, or biodegradable eco-paper, is created from using recycled or repurposed materials. They are designed not to be discarded after use, but instead to be planted in the ground, where seeds will sprout from paper. Botanical Paperworks for instance collects paper waste, such as envelope cutoffs or documents, from local businesses and uses them as pulp. During the paper-making process, the seeds are inserted into the paper waste, and the resulting mixture is manufactured into paper sheets. These sheets are then naturally dried because the heat and pressure may kill the seeds. Once you plant it, the paper begins to decompose in the soil, thus enabling the seeds to sprout. Depending on the circumstances, you typically see sprouts within some weeks, and full blooms usually take two to three months. This new paper is just as strong and works just as well as regular paper, making it a feasible alternative. 

Large-scale paper companies are huge contributors to the global climate crisis. The traditional manufacturing of paper entails stealing raw materials from forests and wildlife - which also exacerbates deforestation - to use in a paper-production process that has huge toxic gas emissions. Plantable seed paper counteracts this damage and instead benefits our environment by using recycled paper to decrease the amount of waste sent to landfills. To combat climate change, the onus is on us as a society to begin seeking better alternatives for paper such as plantable seed paper, which prioritizes protecting wildlife habitats and our planet.