June 17, 2020
Rockstock is a sustainable paper made out of stone (not trees!) that is produced without the use of water.
Is it possible to make paper without trees? Yes it is, welcome to Rockstock, a brand of Rich Mineral Paper (RMP), a tree-free paper manufactured from old quarry stone and offcuts left over from the building industry (brilliant!) using no water and minimal energy. It’s also non-toxic and has low carbon emission.
A truly sustainable paper that turns waste from other industries into the world’s most environmentally friendly paper. Watch this great little clip about stone paper.
What is it made of?
Rockstock contains no wood pulp. It is a combination largely of mineral powder (Calcium Carbonate at 80.9%) with a small amount of non-toxic, recyclable, resin (HDPE at 18%). “Rich Mineral Paper” can be confused with synthetic paper, however Rockstock is neither synthetic nor pulp or fibre based.
At first thought, you may wonder if beautiful, natural rock is used. Absolutely not! Waste product from quarries, such as broken stone, marble and tile or from offcuts left over from the building industry are used.
Chantal Organics Whole Tahini labels being printed on Rockstock paper.
What are the Environmental Benefits?
Get ready to be amazed! Rockstock stone paper production does not require water or the use fossil fuels. No bleach or strong acid is used to lighten or break down the components in its production. Therefore RMP mills create no air pollution, no toxic run off and therefore no water pollution, creating an extremely environmentally friendly paper.
Its manufacture actually uses relatively little energy, significantly less than the production of wood fibre paper and therefore can rely on solar power. Find out the nitty gritty about it’s production here.
A truly Full Circle of Sustainability
We know the production of stone paper is eco-friendly packaging, however it is equally important to consider its end of life. Rockstock is both recyclable and photo-degradable. It is even compostable, when sufficient heat is present, only leaving behind calcium carbonate. It’s not bio-degradable as it does not attract insects or organisms to consume it.
With deforestation being a concern worldwide, Rockstock offers an alternative by using milled stone waste as the primary content instead of tree fibre. Rockstock replaces a limited resource with a superfluous mineral, considered as production waste in other industries. Therefore, choosing to use a tree-free paper supports climate change by preserving the rapidly decreasing forests worldwide, something that Chantal Organics is very passionate about!
The Nitty Gritty of Sustainability
According to the by Environmental Defense Center, producing 1 ton of RMP vs 1 ton of wood pulp paper, the environmental results are:
- 7480 gallons of fresh water saved
- A reduction of CO2 released into the atmosphere
- 19.05 Kg water borne waste not produced
- 107.05 Kg atmospheric emissions eliminated
- 6 million BTU’s energy not consumed
- 20 trees not cut down
Here at Chantal Organics, we are choosing to use Rockstock paper to support the improvement to our air, land and water quality and to reduce energy consumption, in effort to achieve environmental and sustainable goals that are at the heart of our company.
