The state of Washington recently passed a law creating new standards for paper use at its state agencies and campuses. Will more states follow?

The new law seeks to reduce paper use, recycle more paper and buy more recycled paper. We expect that such standards will be adopted nationwide.

The purpose of the new law is to:

• Reduce the use of paper for copying and printing by at least 30%
• Buy 100% recycled content paper for office use.
• Recycle 100% of office paper in all buildings with 25 employees or more.
• Buy and lease only printers and copiers that can run 100% recycled paper
• Give priority to purchasing from companies that produce paper in mills powered by a renewable energy source.

State estimates are that these moves will save the state $1 million a year, plus reduce solid waste and cut down on water pollution and greenhouse gases in paper manufacturing. This move adds on to the state government’s already strong recycling program, with around 90% of all paper used in the state capitol being currently recycled.

This move, likely to be followed by both public and private sectors, will have a big impact on vendors, both the paper companies (who will be under pressure to build sustainable mills) and the printer/copier manufacturers (who will need to build more machines that handled recycled paper without jamming).

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Tags: green, law, Washington