Two Sides releases latest Myths & Facts booklet

Paper advocacy group Two Sides has released the 10th edition of its Myths & Facts booklet, which helps to dispel the common misconceptions surrounding the industry.

The 26pp A5 booklet, which has been redesigned with a new layout, style and fonts, is filled with up-to-date facts and figures regarding the industry, which Two Sides said makes it “a great tool for promoting the great environmental story print and paper has to tell”.

The topics covered within the booklet include the facts behind forestry, recycling and emissions as well as consumer choice around printed communications.

Myths debunked in the publication, meanwhile, include 'European forests are shrinking', 'Paper is bad for the environment', 'Only recycled paper should be used', 'Paper production is a major cause of global greenhouse gas emissions' and 'Electronic communication is better for the environment than paper-based communication'.

Key facts highlighted include “Europe is a world leader in paper recycling – 72.3% of paper is recycled”, “42% of the EU-28 is covered by wooded areas making it one of the most forest-rich regions in the world” and “72% of consumers surveyed worldwide prefer to read the printed version of books”.

Two Sides country manager Greg Selfe told PrintWeek: “With the Myths & Facts booklet we focus on a lot of the key information to the Two Sides campaign: recycling, forest growth and renewable energy.

“It’s really about gathering all of the industry research from CEPI, FAO and all those other bodies and putting all of the information into a document that is as easy to digest as possible.

“Our members and the wider industry value it because it does answer those questions that are asked about print and paper in a simple fashion.”

The booklet is available to download from Two Sides’ website. The organisation said that with the option to add their own logos to the front cover and corporate images and text to the inside cover, members can co-brand the publication to make it into a personalised tool to share with their customers, staff and stakeholders.

“We’ve printed 3,000 copies of the booklet, which we will distribute to all of our members, stakeholders and conferences. Stakeholders often ask for a few boxes for their own conferences and there might also be some NGOs and other bodies that might request the booklet,” said Selfe.

“This booklet is really the foundation for a lot of the topics we cover, and what we have done in the last year or two in particular is look at how we can convert this information into other assets.

“We’ve produced ‘factographics’, mini videos and other online tools that can again be co-branded and easily shared on social media. It’s about using this as part of a suite of tools that are available to our members in the industry through print and online to help spread these messages as far and wide as possible.”

Formed in 2008, Two Sides uses a variety of means to inform the wider public about the print and paper industry. The organisation has seen continued success with its anti-greenwash campaign, with 441 companies having now removed or changed their messaging since its inception.