Retailer kicks another of its “sustainability goals”.

 

New Zealand’s Warehouse Stationery has added to its sustainability credentials with the introduction of office paper made from wheat straw and furniture offcuts.

 

Wheat paper, which looks and behaves like ordinary copy paper, is made in India from the stalks of grains left over from India's vast crop harvests. The wheat stalks are collected and processed and mixed with furniture offcuts, sourced and collected from local manufacturers.

 

David Benattar, Warehouse Stationery’s chief sustainability officer, told the New Zealand Herald that the product is another example of the company’s continued commitment to deliver more sustainable products to its customers.

 

"We are pleased to be able to introduce a first-to-market product which has a much better environmental impact as it is responsible for 40 per cent fewer emissions in manufacture than paper produced wholly from wood," he said.

 

"Not only are no trees involved, the wheat stalks and offcuts are usually burned, so airborne pollution is being cut through the reduction of these burn-offs," he said. 

 

Wendy Ballard, Warehouse Stationery’s head of marketing, said she expects the wheat paper will become popular as it delivers on sustainability and price.

 

"We're expecting high uptake of this product. Wheat paper is an everyday paper product which could become an office staple and the preferred choice for consumers and schools wanting to use a more sustainable alternative,” she said.

 

The wheat paper is priced at the same level as its wood-based paper equivalent.