Eco-friendly Paper Enters the Ethiopian Market

“This is the response of Jupiter Trading to the growing concern of environmental issues” said Melaku Bisrat, managing partner and co founder of Jupiter Trading on an eco friendly paper launching event that was held at Jupiter International Hotel on March 26, 2013. Jupitor partnered with Trident Group and Alia Mohammed Trading- Indian Companies based in Dubai to launch what they called the first eco friendly copier paper in Ethiopia.

“The current experience of paper production uses so much wood pulp, about 35 Pct, that it furthers deforestation around the world,” Muril G. Ema, business development manager for Alia Mohammed Trading said on the occation. Whereas the new paper is produced using 60 pctof wheat straw and 20 pctof mechanical pulp and only the rest is fiber, which is wood pulp.

Even though this is new for Ethiopia, internationally there are agri-based papers including cereal and banana papers.
“24 containers of eco friendly papers are already in shipment for the local market,” Biniyam Bisrat, general manager of Jupiter International Hotel, one of the sister companies of Jupiter Trading, told EBR.

Trident Group was established in 1993 in India with a start up capital of 2 million dollar. Reports indicate that its annual revenue in 2012 was 700 million dollar.

Jupiter Trading, the brand ambassador for the eco friendly paper, is a business group that is involved in travel, hospitality, IT and office equipments and construction, the company says.

Worldwide more than 193 million tones of pulp are produced each year, of which 95 Pctis made from wood. Approximately 10 to 17 trees are needed to produce one tone of paper.