Guide on green public procurement: wallpaper and ingrain wallpaper

Making wallpaper out of recycled paper reduces waste paper burdens, particularly when low and medium quality waste papers are used. This in turn helps to avoid the environmental degradation that is directly attributable to cellulose and wood pulp production. When it comes to resource use, wastewater load, water use, and energy use, waste paper is far better for the environment than paper made of wood fibres. In cases where wallpaper is partly made of new wood fibres, it is crucial from an ecological standpoint that the wood from which the fibres are derived comes from sustainably managed forests and from forestry companies that adhere to high ecological and social standards. Obtaining wood from forests deserving protection such as tropical or Boreal primeval forests is unacceptable.