The eucalyptus globulus tree, used to produce Navigator, takes 10-12 years to reach the ideal size for harvesting. Once harvested, the tree stub sprouts new shoots.

These will go on to grow new trees, while the trunk is used to produce paper and energy.

The same root system can be used up to three times, meaning that the soil may be undisturbed for up to 36 years, a much longer period of time when compared to annual rotations done in intensive agriculture.

eucalyptus globulus only absorbs the water quantity necessary for its growth rate. However, it is not always absorbing water, thanks to its own water management efficiency. With neither long nor deep roots, the tree can regulate transpiration through its leaves, retaining excess water to use during dry periods. Moreover, eucalyptus globulus water use is within the same consumption range of other tree species.

“IT’S A TREEWITH A VERY EFFICIENT USE OF WATER.”

People usually assume that eucalyptus globulus may reduce biodiversity in plantation areas because they absorb a lot of nutrients from the soil, not leaving enough for other species to strive. But it’s not like that. Such reduction only happens in nonmanaged forests, where eucalyptus globulus are allowed to grow wildly. If eucalyptus globulus forests are managed responsibly, biodiversity can and does exist, which is the case of The Navigator Company forests.

“IF eucalyptus globulus FORESTS ARE MANAGED RESPONSIBLY, BIODIVERSITY CAN AND DOES EXIST...”

FSC^® uses a chain of custody system to monitor sources of raw materials, to ensure all materials used in a certified mill come from legal and credible sources. If forest management is also FSC certified, then the percentage of incoming wood from that forest to a mill can be used to produce the same percentage of certified paper (in a system of credits).

The eu ecolabel (www.ecolabel.eu) covers sourcing of raw materials (like FSC™ or PEFC do) but also production, namely emissions, so it provides you more information on the environmental credibility of the product it refers to. It is a much more comprehensive system which tracks environmental aspects from wood to pulp and paper production.

Yes, The Navigator Company has its own forests and manages them sustainably. There are forest managers within the company who make sure the forests get the attention needed. Also, the management of The Navigator Company forests is certified by the two most important environmental certifications: FSC (Forest Stewardship Council®) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) which means, from an environmental, economic and social perspective, our forests are managed responsibly and obey to strict, internationally recognized criteria.

From the 12 million plants produced each year, there’s a percentage planted by The Navigator Company in its own forests. The rest of the plants are sold to traders and will be planted elsewhere by some of the more than 400,000 landowners in Portugal.

Those trees are later repurchased by The Navigator Company for pulp and paper production purposes.

This way, we’re able to control the quality of the wood used in the papermaking process, as it originated in our forest nurseries.

“...WE’RE ABLE TO CONTROL THE QUALITY OF THE WOOD USED IN THE PAPERMAKING PROCESS..”

The Navigator Company mainly uses certified wood, from certified forests. However, The Navigator Company also uses wood from protected areas when the control conditions of wood are guaranteed. This means that not all wood is certified but all wood undergoes strict control conditions in order to minimize the environmental impact and obtain good quality products.

“...MINIMIZE THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND OBTAIN GOOD QUALITY PRODUCTS.“

There are 3 main bleaching processes in the paper industry: Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF), Total Chlorine Free (TCF) and Process Chlorine Free (PCF). PCF is usually applied in the paper recycling industry, while the other two processes are common in papers that use virgin fibres.

Papers described as ECF result from fibres bleached with chlorine dioxide and processes described as TCF result from fibres bleached with chemicals such as oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. ECF and TCF processes have no significant environmental impact differences. Both techniques have BAT (Best Available Techniques) status, which means they are state-of-the-art processes that meet the best results regarding environmental regulations. The main difference between both processes is the final product quality. While TCF is an intense bleaching process, resulting in a pulp with weaker fibres, ECF process delivers a higher quality fibre which, in the end, allows gps to consume less energy and less wood and obtain a more recyclable product than a TCF process would.

The fibres used in Navigator paper are virgin fibres, so they are at full performance capacity. Recycled fibres have already undergone several recycling processes and their cell walls are worn off, meaning they won’t perform as well and this paper will have less quality, namely in stiffness and bulk. Typically, fibres can be recycled 5-7 times, maximum. Also, Navigator paper benefits from special surface treatment which minimizes dusting and consequently increases your printer’s lifespan, unlike recycled papers.

“THE FIBRES USED IN NAVIGATOR PAPER ARE VIRGIN FIBRES...”

Navigator paper jams once, at most, every 10.000 sheets, as opposed to 5 jams of other office papers, on average.

Taking into consideration that a paper jam can take up to 3 minutes to solve, depending on the type of printing equipment or photocopier used, this can translate into a potential gain in productivity.

Because of that, Navigator’s performance is certified. The BLI seal certifies that our paper successfully completed demanding quality tests that confirm its high working performance and that no problems with image quality, misfeeding, multi-sheet feeding, curl, dust accumulation or puckering were found.

Before awarding this certification, BLI carried out a series of thorough tests on Navigator paper, using a wide range of state-of-the-art office reproduction equipment (namely photocopiers, printers, faxes and multifunctional devices) from various manufacturers.

Navigator alone gives you high printing quality but you can still improve it with the printing settings you use. For instance, to improve results you should define the settings on your printer to high printing quality or vivid colour (definition depends on printer brand and model), so you achieve the best colour output.