Yes. 3M has conducted recycling trials on Post-it® Notes at recycled paper mills. The adhesive on the paper does not interfere with paper recycling because the adhesive is substantially removed in the paper deinking process. The dyes in the paper are removed in the deinking process.

There are many colors and sizes of Post-it® Notes available with paper containing at least 30% postconsumer recycled content. In addition, 3M offers 100% recycled content notes in canary yellow and assorted pastel colors. The 100% recycled content notes contains 70% preconsumer and 30% postconsumer fiber. Post-it® Easel Pads are also available with 30% postconsumer content paper.

There is a limited supply of recycled fiber from which new paper can be made. Even with maximum recycling, paper mills would not be able to sustain making paper with only recycled content. In fact, it has been estimated that if all printing and writing paper was made with recycled content, the maximum sustainable level would be less than 10% postconsumer content.

Recycling is an important strategy for diverting waste from overcrowded landfills. The collected paper is used as a raw material for making recycled paper, boxes, and tissue products. Recycling also protects forests by reducing the need for virgin fiber. But recycling means more than just collecting recyclable items. The three elements of recycling include the collection of waste, the manufacture of new products from recycled material and the purchase of these items. By purchasing recycled content products you help strengthen the market for those products, encourage new technologies and create more stable markets for the sale of materials separated from recycling. When you purchase recycled paper products, you're doing your part for the environment.

Yes. The quality of Post-it® Recycled Notes is the same as our standard Post-it® Notes.

Since 1975, 3M's Pollution Prevention Pays, or 3P program, has prevented the generation of over 2.7 billion pounds of pollution. Since 1990, 3M has cut volatile organic air emissions by 95% and greenhouse gas emissions by 62%. In addition, 3M has been working to minimize waste through prevention, reuse, and recycling at its operations since the 1970s. In 2008, 3M recycled or reused 20 times more waste than it treated, disposed of in a landfill, or sent to a waste-to-energy facility.

Preconsumer waste, also known as post industrial waste, is generally thought of as material diverted from the waste stream during a manufacturing process. This does not include the reutilization of materials such as rework, regrind or scrap generated in a process and is capable of being reclaimed in the same process that generated it. Preconsumer waste is generally thought of as waste paper generated at the home or in the office after it has served its intended use. For example, newspapers that are recycled after they have been read are considered to be postconsumer waste.

Recycled products must contain at least some materials that have been recovered or diverted from the solid waste stream either during the manufacturing process (preconsumer) and/or after consumer use (postconsumer). Recyclable means that the product can be collected, separated or otherwise recovered from the solid waste stream for reuse or the manufacture or assembly of another product or package through an established recycling program. Having recycled content does not necessarily mean the product is recyclable, although many paper products can be recycled through established recycling programs. Post-it® Notes and Post-it® Super Sticky Notes are recyclable.

This symbol is called the Mobius Loop. It is a recycling symbol in the shape of three chasing arrows forming a triangle, and means that the product or packaging is manufactured using recycled materials, or that the product or packaging is recyclable, or to indicate the type of plastic used in the package. Information is often put in or around the Mobius Loop to show how much recycled content is present or what part of the package or product is recyclable.

A sustainable product is one that is produced, used and disposed of without depleting the earth’s resources or damaging the environment. Attributes of sustainable products include using the responsible use of renewable resources, minimizing transportation to conserve fossil fuel, responsible manufacturing to reduce pollution, and recyclability of the product. The major component of Post-it® Notes and Post-it® Easel products is paper and paper is a renewable resource. All of the paper for Post-it® Notes and Easel pads is SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) chain of custody certified. Post-it® Notes and Easel Pads sold in the U.S.A. are made in the U.S.A. Finally, the products are recyclable using home and office waste streams.

Chain of custody paper comes from a well managed forest where all the trees are regrown after harvesting. Illegal logging is prohibited and old growth forest is protected from logging. Chain of Custody (CoC) is an externally audited system. It is a step-by-step accounting of the channel through which forest products are distributed from their forest of origin, through all production steps, to the final end product. It is used to trace and verify the origin and the percentage of certified wood fiber used in the final product.

All Post-it® Notes and Easel Pads are SFI Chain of Custody Certified. Paper for these products comes from well managed forests where trees are replanted.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) program is an independent organization led by representatives from environmental/conservation organizations, state and federal public officials, professional and academic groups and industry leaders. It is a comprehensive system of principles, objectives, performance measures and indicators that integrate the perpetual growing of trees with the protection of wildlife, plants, soil, water and air. For more information on SFI, see: www.sfiprogram.org

Sustainable forest management is managing forest lands to meet the social, economic, and ecological and cultural needs of present and future generations. This means that trees cut are replanted or regrow naturally, animal habitat and water resources are protected so that the forest can survive, and thrive for generations to come.

PEFC is the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification and is an independent umbrella organization for the mutual recognition of national and regional forest certification systems. PEFC systems are based on internationally recognized criteria whose label certifies wood that has been independently audited as coming from sustainability managed forests. The U.S. member of PEFC is SFI. For more information on PEFC, see: www.pefc.org

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international non-governmental organization that supports environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests. FSC provides Chain of Custody certification for sustainable forestry similar to SFI. For more information see: www.fsc.org

Call the Office Supplies Division Information Line at 1-800-395-1223 for additional information about Post-it® Notes. Hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Standard Time.