The Surprisingly Complex World of Paper

Search the internet for a list of the most influential inventions in human history and you are likely to come across the story of Johannes Gutenberg and the printing press. Absent from many of these lists, however, is the very technology that allowed Gutenberg to create his machine. For centuries, the world has run on paper. The technology was used for legal documents, literature and personal communication long before and after the first page was printed.

The Paperless Society

Thanks to the digital revolution, many aspects of life no longer require paper. The news has largely moved online while apps like Venmo and Cashapp render physical cash more and more obsolete. Text, email and phone calls have already nearly replaced traditional post. 

These technological developments have led some to believe that a paperless society is on the horizon. This sort of speculation has a long history. Professor Frederick Wilfrid Lancaster, a prominent British-American information scientist, first predicted that a paperless society would emerge by the end of the 20th century way back in 1975. 

In 2019, author and journalist, Chris Stokel-Walker wrote, “no matter how many cashless shops pop up or digital statements are sent, a paperless society is still a long way off.” Stokel-Walker’s comment captures the attitude of many who view the possibility of a fully paperless society as impractical and unlikely to appear any time soon

Environmental Impact

One commonly held assumption about paper is that wasting it kills trees, leading to deforestation and environmental decline. The truth is not that simple. 

Paper companies defend themselves by citing the environmental benefits of paper compared to other products. UPN Communication Paper states on its website, “Compared to other industries, paper manufacturing has great potential to be truly sustainable and ecological.” TGW, a packaging and printing company, points out that, from a business perspective, it is in the paper manufacturer’s own self-interest to plant more trees than they fell. 

They have a point. Unlike most of the materials in your laptop, wood is in fact a renewable resource. In contrast to plastic which has been collected in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, paper is both biodegradable and fully recyclable.

Papermaking

While most of the paper you will come across is made from wood chips, other fibrous organic materials can be used to manufacture paper. Throughout history, it has been made using cotton, seaweed, bark, animal skin, wool and more. In fact, paper gets its name from the Latin papyrus, a type of reed paper first invented by the ancient Egyptians and later adopted by the Roman Empire. 

Ever since wood-based paper’s widespread adoption in Europe, paper was increasingly mass-produced in mills. Most paper today is manufactured in factories using complicated machinery but some is still made by hand. Artists and hobbyists may choose to make their own paper in a studio or at home. The art of papermaking is still taught in art schools. 

Final Thoughts

The art of papermaking has been practiced for thousands of years. Throughout its history, paper has been used for communication, art and record keeping. Nowadays, it has become an important part of the packaging industry. The use of paper as a medium has been changing and evolving in the past few decades but a paperless society is still out of reach.