I just saw on The Green Rocket that Dark Horse Comics is using recyclable bags rather than plastic for their comics. They are still using tree paper to print the comics because they feel comics are saved and cherished rather than sent to a landfill. Nuno writes a great rant about how Dark Horse is Greenwashing with this news.

Well as a comic book enthusiast, I have a solution to make comics more green. Hemp! That’s right. Hemp paper is MUCH better for the environment and comics and here is why:
1. Hemp doesn’t need the same bleaching process as trees making less chemical waste.
2. Hemp can produce 4 times what an average forest can produce.
3. Hemp paper is better for archival purposes as it does not yellow as fast like tree paper does.
4. How cool would it be to have a comic printed on Hemp!
And there are trons of other reasons, but the main reason why it doesn’t happen is that it is too expensive at the moment. Why? well, because there is no high demand to produce the stuff. However, throw some money at it from comic book producers and I’m sure the process (which hasn’t changed since WW2, and neither have the machines really) could be made cheaper than wood pulp. Just because it is made from Hemp doesn’t mean that if you smoke it you will get high, like smoking Canibus. Just in case you were wondering.

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