Forging aPaper Trail:
Recycled Paper Printing Leads
the Way in Sustainability
Our Guidebook printer since 1996,
Recycled Paper Printing, Inc. of Boston
spearheaded the market demand for papers
made from recycled waste paper, virtually
transforming the paper and printing industry.
In the early 1980’s, the company’s founder,
Todd Truesdale, was a rainforest biologist in
Borneo, Indonesia. Observing the rampant
deforestation outside his research camp –
decimating the rainforest to make way for
palm oil plantations – he reconsidered his
graduate school plans and returned home to
establish Recycled Paper Printing, the world’s
first sustainability-oriented printer. Truesdale,
a Harvard University graduate, biologist,
activist and environmentalist, remains at the
helm, maintaining his deep commitment to
environmental stewardship.
Prior to the company’s creation in 1983,
the few mills producing recycled papers in
this country were reluctant to broadcast that
information, perceiving “recycled” to be
synonymous with “low quality.” However,
dramatic changes had taken place in
deinking and papermaking technology, and
Truesdale was able to convince the mills
that the market was indeed ripe for recycled
papers.
With the mantra: “Walk the walk and
buy printing with an active conscience,”
Truesdale and his team visited environmental
organizations, schools and politicians to
implore them to consider the planet when
selecting a printer. His question is apt: “How
can you ask people to protect open space,
preserve the rainforests, and raise their
children to be good citizens… when they
4 • 2016 Official Guide to Nantucket
are helping to destroy it all by buying virgin
papers which damage our environment?”
Over the years, Recycled Paper Printing
has successfully persuaded numerous
businesses to cease being co-conspirators
in destroying the environment and purchase
recycled papers. Using their considerable
expertise in the industry, the company has
also assisted nearly a dozen states in writing
procurement guidelines – making it possible
for state, local and municipal agencies to
buy recycled papers and materials printed on
recycled papers – and attended numerous
trade shows and association meetings,
convincing corporations that their customers
want them to behave as responsible
corporate citizens.
Utilizing vegetable-based inks, electricity
credits from wind-energy, and common sense
to minimize waste during planning and
production, Recycled Paper Printing
continues to be a leader in sustainabilityoriented printing. (Visit their website at
www.recycledpaper.com.) As you scan the
pages of our 2016-2017 Guidebook –
one of their many sustainably-produced
publications – take a moment to consider
the ways in which you, too, can contribute
to being a responsible steward of our
fragile environment.