Stone paper very well could change the world.
Did I really just start an article like that?
Yep, I said paper. Made of stone. Never mind the world for now, it seriously could change the jobsite. I’m talking about stone paper. I was just introduced to the concept and was given a small notebook made from it. There are some very cool characteristics of thanks to what it’s made of. Stone paper has no tree material in it whatsoever. It’s made from calcium carbonate, limestone, and HDPE plastic. Tree huggers rejoice! The calcium carbonate is what makes up the core of stone paper, accounting for about 80% of the material.
Why Stone Paper? It’s Waterproof!
Okay, when I first picked up and even wrote on this, I had no idea it was stone paper. It was when I read the back of the cover sheet that I saw the words “waterproof paper”. Really? Yeah, right. So I immediately went over to the sink and let the faucet run over the paper for about 20 seconds. There was water on it, but it wiped right off. I could immediately write on it with no smearing or tearing. I ran it again over a page that I had already written on, yet the ink remained undamaged with no smearing.
Even with the paper still soaked, I could write effectively using a standard ballpoint pen!
On the jobsite, this characteristic on it’s own has huge implications. Jobsites are dirty, messy, places where paper just doesn’t survive well. A lot of the has to do with water. Even in recording data during product reviews, I’ve had issues with moisture getting on my notebook. This is a big deal.
Why Stone Paper? It’s Tear Resistant!
Stone paper isn’t made from wood pulp like regular paper, and it doesn’t tear like it either. When I read this, I tore a sheet of paper out of my notebook. Hmmm… it actually was a harder to start the tear. What’s more, it doesn’t sound like paper tearing, nor does it feel like it.
When tearing a sheet off, you can feel the plastic in it. It’s very similar to the feel of latex. You can also tear it by hand relatively cleanly. Normal paper gets those jagged edges and rarely tears cleanly. Remember the “fold and lick” method we all used to use to get a straight tear in school? There’s no need with stone paper. You’ll also feel stone paper’s tear resistance when you tear a sheet off. If you pull the stone paper, it feels and reacts like you’re pulling on a piece of thin plastic.
You can easily write on stone paper thanks to the calcium carbonate and limestone that are in it. It actually feels smoother than regular paper. It’s tougher to tear and waterproof/oil proof. That makes this a really attractive option to buy in bulk for your crew members that need to be able to write down anything on the jobsite. The downsides are that it doesn’t like high temperature laser printers, it can be tough to find a consistent supplier locally, and it tends to be more expensive. If you’re a fan of gel pens like I am, the ink can take a little longer to dry on the page.
According to manufacturers, producing 1 ton of stone paper rather than traditional paper saves…
- 6 million BTU of energy
- 20 trees
- 167 pounds of solid waste
- 236 pounds of atmospheric emissions
- 7480 gallons of waste water
Take a look at this article about stone paper from Wired.com!
Yeah, I just wrote an article about paper on a professional tool website. All joking aside, it’s a greener alternative to wood based paper and it’s waterproof. I’m sold. On the other hand, I wonder if balling it up and throwing it across the room at someone is as effective as picking up a rock…
