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Paper2012 event opens with talk of sustainability, recycling and the digital future
Paper2012 event recently held in New York City.
4.28.2012
March 27,
2012 The Paper2012 event opened
Monday in New York City with touches on the industry's record on sustainability
and a snap shot of the digital age impact on traditional use of printing and
communication papers. Previously
branded as Paper Week until 2010, the annual event came to Lower Manhattan from
Chicago last year and more than a century before that at the historic
Waldorf Astoria hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Donna Harman,
CEO of the American Forest & Paper Assn, a co-sponsor of the event with the
National Paper Trade Assn Alliance, said the location this year was in
recognition of the post 9-11 revitalization of the surrounding area including
the National 9-11 Memorial at the site of the World Trade Center. With a
conference theme of ‘The View Forward', Harman said the bright future in New
York held the same promise for the paper industry. New AF&PA
chairman and Boise CEO Alexander Toeldte said the industry is distinguished in
its environmental, including a new record paper recovery rate in 2011 of 66.8%. "We have
a good story to tell and are constantly improving that story," he told the
Paper2012 opening session. He said the
industry's recycling result is greater than the plastic, glass and aluminum
industries combined. He added that
a ‘check-off' plan underway will promote the beneficial aspects of paper use,
similar to the well known ‘Got Milk?' campaign. "I am
personally encouraged about the future of our industry," Toeldte said. ‘Frictionless communication' Technology
expert, author and founder of webcasts.com, Scott Klosoky, reviewed the growth
and role of digital information and social media. He noted the
recent loss of more than 100 newspapers and the bankruptcies of several major
companies that failed to recognize and adapt to the "frictionless
communication" available at low to no cost that is changing the way people
do business. Kodak, he
said, holds several patents on digital photography but failed to develop its
own presence in the field; music seller Virgin Megastore was supplanted by
computer company Apple and its I-tunes; bookseller Borders failed to meet the
growth of e-readers such as Kindle; and Blockbuster was undone by the advent of
movie downloads. "In a
knowledge economy, smart people win," Klosoky said. Opportunities
for the paper industry include the message of recycling and the positive
aspects of paper use vs digital technology. "There's
no need for a paperless society," he added, noting paper books, periodicals
and direct mail will co-exist with digital versions. "There is a role for
paper." He said the
industry can use digital technology to get its message out, reach customers,
manage sales and connect to the world. Earlier,
talking about the millennial generation, Boise's Toeldte said they associate
paper with trust and organization, and they are the customers of the future. Relating a
visit to the 9-11 Memorial, Harman saw people using paper to etch the names of
the victims included in the monument. "Paper is
ingrained in the lives of Americans," she said.
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