You Make the Co-op Possible
Industry Wide Price Increases Coming in April
Member Profile: Alta Ski Area
Natural Resource Savings
Welcome New Members
Conservation Tip

YOU MAKE THE RECYCLED PRODUCTS COOPERATIVE POSSIBLE!

First things first. We would like to thank YOU, our loyal members for making the RPC possible. We now have well over 500 members nationwide and have recently brought on our 100th member who purchases 100% postconsumer recycled paper! From single cases to truckload orders, collectively these all add up to a lot of resources saved. We couldn't do it without your concern for the environment and your continued support. Remember, together we are making a TREE-mendous difference!!!

INDUSTRY WIDE PRICE INCREASES COMING IN APRIL

The RPC has been informed that there will be a price increase for all paper types effective April 3, 2006. Certain quantities purchased will not be as affected as others, but most categories are going to go up. We are still hopeful that the increase won’t ‘stick’ but we wanted to let everyone know in case it does. For now our best recommendation is if you have any extra room to store paper, please order as soon as possible (3/23/06 at the latest if you want to be assurred of receiving paper before the increase takes effect) and stock up. This way you can at least save a few dollars while the price is lower.

There was one industry wide price increase back in February that fortunately did not affect the RPC. Because of our cooperative purchasing power and the agreement we have with our supplier, we were able to keep the same low prices while most other vendors experienced the increase. However, this additional increase coming up in April will be unavoidable. The RPC will absorb as much of the increased cost as we can, but there is only so much we can do as a small non-profit. In order to not lose money, some of the increase will be passed on to you, our loyal Co-op members.

We were told that this price increase is in part due to the short supply of paper currently available. This past year has seen quite a few mill closings throughout the industry, so there is less capacity. This shortage of paper is causing our supplier to resort to an allocation system, which means that we are being asked to keep a tight reign on the orders placed and limit the amount of new business we bring on. Also, because of this allocation, please keep in mind that it may take longer than usual to receive your paper. Again, we encourage you to order early!

Another reason for this increase is in part due to the recent change in brightness for standard copy paper. As you may have been aware the national standard for generic copy paper was 84 bright. In August 2005, International Paper (one of the world’s largest paper manufacturers) announced they would be switching their standard brightness from 84 to 92 bright. This change forced all the other manufacturers to follow suit or lose market share. The RPC did voice its opposition to this change with our manufacturers for several reasons. First and foremost (the RPC believes) it is not more environmentally friendly. The pulp has to be bleached to a higher brightness level and generally requires more brightening agents to achieve the new 92 bright level. With more processing and raw materials required to change the brightness, it seemed reasonable that an increase in price was inevitable. Finally, why do we really need a 92 bright sheet of copy paper for everyday use? Was 84 bright so bad?

Order now to avoid the April price increase! Please give us a call or send us an e-mail if you have questions.

http://r.vresp.com/?RecycledProductsCoop/c52e135e26/531530/b42ca9459a/01dece6

MEMBER PROFILE

The Alta Ski Area was founded in 1938 in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service. Alta is renowned for its mountain beauty in both winter and summer; however, in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s Alta’s beauty was scarred by intensive use of natural resources due to silver mining, timber harvesting, and sheep grazing. Alta’s founders were committed to reclaiming the forests and improving water quality. The management at Alta is dedicated to continuing these efforts. As part of the revegetation program 13,000 native trees have been planted since 1991. Alta Ski Area also demonstrates their commitment to environmental stewardship through their involvement in the Sustainable Slopes program.

Alta recently began purchasing 30% post consumer recycled paper from the Cooperative. The RPC’s commitment to the environment combined with competitive prices motivated them to purchase through the Cooperative. Mark Pollish added, “We like the ease of being able to purchase paper in bulk and have it delivered on time.” For more information on their commitment to the environment refer to the Alta Ski Area’s Environmental Report, available on their website at alta.com. Also joining us from the Sustainable Slopes program is Kirkwood Mountain Resort. Thank-you to Alta Ski Area and Kirkwood Mountain Resort for your support!

Visit Alta's website

NATURAL RESOURCE SAVINGS

Since the program began in 1999, members have purchased over 327,529 cases of recycled paper. This has saved the equivalent of 67,418.5 trees, 19,670,823 gallons of water, 11,516,848 Kilowatt-hours of electricity, and has kept 168,205 pounds of pollution from our air.

Find out more here!

Member participation is what enables us to continue our work to increase the use of recycled paper nationwide. We'd like to extend a warm welcome to all of the following members...

Akins and Villavicencio 
Alpine County
Alta Ski Resort
Caf� Marcie
CSU Long Beach
CSU San Marcos
Camping Pros
City of Adelanto
City of Burbank
City of Santa Barbara
City of Ukiah
Coast Law Group
Department of the Interior
Dr. Muir DDS
Environmental Resource Center
Green Guide Publications
Heathwood Hall Episcopal School
JGO Construction
Jimbo's Naturally
John Paul Mitchell Systems
Kirkwood Ski Area
Landmark School
Law Offices of Tamara Gabel
New Planet Coffee
Nova High School
REI - Encinitas
Robert Thiele
San Diego Coastkeeper
San Diego REBRAC
San Diego Zoo
San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy
Seabreeze Organic Farms
Seeds for Change Humane Education
Shaw Air Force Base
Social Security Administration
Southern Waste Information Exchange (SWIX)
State Public Defenders Office - San Francisco
UCSC Facilities Department
Veteran Affairs Medical Center
Wilshire Credit
Xanterra Resort - Bryce Canyon

http://r.vresp.com/?RecycledProductsCoop/519a1254fb/531530/b42ca9459a/01dece6

Now it's more important than ever to find ways to save paper. Sometimes we all need a reminder of the impact that our daily actions have on the environment. Choose from four posters available on the Cooperative's website to remind everyone to use paper wisely. Contact the Recycled Products Cooperative for customized posters and tips on reducing paper use.

View posters available from the Recycled Products Cooperative

Listed below are websites with valuable information
for business and public agencies:

EPA Office of Solid Waste Comprehensive Procurement
Guidelines
(www.epa.gov/cpg)

Recycled Products Database
(www.ciwmb.ca.gov/RCP)

Conservatree
(http://www.conservatree.com/)

ForestEthics
(www.forestethics.org/purchasing)

Center For a New American Dream
(www.newdream.org/procure)

Find more resources on our website.