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Long before Earth Day or green living, Marcal Paper Products began making paper towels from the contents of our recycling bin. Since 1950 the company has been putting our junk mail and discarded office documents to good use. The "Small Steps by Marcal" brand, launched last year, showcases those environmentally friendly roots with packaging that implores the consumer to "Save One Million Trees." By Earth Day that packaging will include a box of "Environmental Facts" printed over the question, "What's in your paper products?" For a Marcal toilet paper square, paper towel, tissue or napkin the answer is 100 % recycled paper product. The ingredient breakdown also tells the consumer what isn't in there: new trees, chlorine bleaching and added fragrances or dyes. We talked to CEO Tim Spring about the company's official entry into the green marketplace, its corporate culture, and spring cleaning.
The packaging says, "You can help save 1 million trees." Why do you think people respond to that message?
Global warming is a rather ambitious task-people want to help in small steps. We gave our consumers a challenge: If they substitute just one roll of paper towels or one package of napkins with 100 percent recycled product, that would save one million trees. Once people hear that they're like, wow, that doesn't seem like a big thing.
Beyond the idea of protecting the environment, how else does this product appeal to consumers?
We're actually priced about ten percent less than the other guys. And we deliver parity performance. So cleaning up spilled milk? We do it just as well for ten percent less and it's a green option. We could have charged more-our research showed that. We made a decision that, philosophically, green products should be less to ignite a consumer movement.
How is sustainability reflected in your corporate culture?
Our employees are out there donating trees to local arboretums and volunteering their time to put trees back into the community. And they can do that on the clock. As far as our manufacturing process, it's a zero waste site, so everything we use we put back to use, even expended clay and fiber, which we sell off as bio fuel. We're not perfectly green, but anytime we can find a natural or organic approach to something, we do. For example, I have a team studying the glues on our package to look at natural alternatives to a chemical standard. There's nothing wrong with the glue, it's just that if there's a natural way to do it, let's investigate that.
With spring cleaning season approaching, what are some ways we can be greener cleaners?
We have a community section on our site, which includes articles and videos about living a green life-everything from entertaining to cleaning. For example, our "Healthy Living Expert" recommends a homemade cleaner made by mixing ½ cup of vinegar with ¼ cup of baking soda and ½ gallon of water.
