Stone Paper® develops new technology to reduce environmental impact by repurposing mineral paper waste for various uses, including construction, 3D printing, and carbon reduction technologies.

Stone Paper®, a Canada-based mineral paper producer, is disrupting the traditional, cumbersome recycling process by introducing new repurposing technology in its mineral paper life-cycle. The company's goal starts with global awareness, educating the public about the unending benefits of a more sustainable and healthier environment.

Stone Paper® is continually searching for innovative solutions to improve existing technology. Recycling has been at the forefront of environmentalism for many years. Greenwashing has been embedded in every single industry. While it is great that people and businesses have become conscientious about the environment and are recycling many items, recycling is not a ‘clean' process itself, and only an interim solution to the waste problem. Considering only a fraction of all items, across all industries, can be recycled, this problem is destined to compound.

"Relying on landfills is becoming increasingly costly and environmentally questionable. The closer we get to making landfills a thing of the past, the better for everyone. We all need to work together to use new technologies as an alternative," says Catherine Clarke, Waste Management Planner at Stone Paper Global Technologies.

There needs to be an expansion to the definition of ‘recycling' and what it can truly become. Older generations, grandparents and great-grandparents found unique and creative methods to reuse items, and when they couldn't be reused, they found ways to repurpose them.

Reusing and repurposing are a step back older practices, but a leap forwards in creating an environmentally restorative future. In the past, resources were scarce and highly valued. Items were designed and manufactured to withstand being reused over and over again, and last years if not decades. The word ‘disposable' is a new term that developed in conjunction with the rise of plastic use, and the start of a global increase in waste.

Recycling, in the form seen today, might have been a great solution in the 1970s, but it is not the perfect solution for 2020 or future generations. Recycling should be the last option, just before discarding an item into the garbage can. Reusing and repurposing must become the primary goal, and that is where the team at Stone Paper® has focused their research and development.

There needs to be a shift to encourage the elimination of product waste and a focus on ‘quality' over ‘quantity.' This requires a systematic change in consumer behaviours in favour of a more sustainable and environmentally conscious lifestyle. "We're not wealthy enough to buy cheap things over and over again. Buying a quality item once and using it for a long time is the key to sustainability," says Sam Farhangi, Chairman and CEO at Stone Paper®.

Stone Paper® products are designed with repurposing in mind. The company partners with local waste management businesses to collect mineral paper waste from commercial and industrial sites. The mineral paper waste is then taken to a repurposing facility, where it is shredded to destruction. The result is a mix of calcium carbonate substance that can be repurposed for various industrial uses, such as in construction, 3D printing, carbon reduction technologies, and more.