America's Greenback: An Environmental Perspective

America’s Greenback An Environmental Perspective

Welcome United States currency plays a significant role in the daily lives of every American. We earn it, we spend it, we save it. We accept it at face value as it passes from hand to hand. And except when the look of our bills change, we rarely contemplate that there might be more to our currency than ink on paper. Just like our fellow citizens, United States currency paper plays a significant role in the daily lives of my family and the families of our employees. We earn it, spend it and we save it. But most important of all, we make it. We have made paper for currency for more than 230 years. Paul Revere was our first customer in 1776. Neither he nor Stephen Crane, who made the paper for him, contemplated the environmental implications of papermaking. To be honest, it would take several generations. But more than 50 years ago, before Silent Spring, before the EPA and before Earth Day, members of the Crane family took a look over the horizon and began making some groundbreaking changes to create a well-managed balance between stewardship of their business and stewardship of their environment. We are proud of what we have accomplished over the years, and are happy for the opportunity to share these accomplishments with you. But we also remain vigilant for opportunities to improve our environmental performance while making the highest-quality, most sought-after paper in the world. Sincerely,

Charles Kittredge President and Chief Executive Officer

Crane’s Raw Materials – Tree-Free Since the American Revolution, Crane has made its currency and banknote papers exclusively from tree-free raw materials – cotton and linen. Back then, cotton and linen rags were the only viable materials available to papermakers. It wasn’t until the 1870s that trees were cut to make paper. Crane made a conscious choice then to continue making its papers from cotton and linen, developing unique expertise with these fibers. The percentages of cotton and linen have varied over the years, but these two fibers remain the foundation for U.S. currency paper. Crane uses several forms of cotton fibers for currency paper. The vast majority is recovered from the solid-waste stream. We use waste cotton that is not suitable for textiles, and the trimmings from cotton garment manufacturers. These fibers are supplemented by staple cotton grown in the Southwest. G

Left: Recovered cotton and flax fibers are the tree-free raw materials from which Crane makes United States currency paper. Above, right: Crane’s first advertisement in 1801, soliciting recycled household rags.

Crane no longer uses linen rags for U.S. currency paper, but rather the flax fibers that are not suitable for the manufacture of linen textiles. There are several advantages in using these fibers to make U.S. currency paper, in addition to the fact that they are tree-free. Cotton and flax are readily renewable, and Crane has spent generations developing the infrastructures necessary to recover waste fibers. Because of their inherent purity, they generate a much higher percentage of papermaking fiber and create less waste in the papermaking process than other raw materials. It also happens that cotton and flax make one of the most durable papers, a necessary trait for U.S. currency paper. Among the myriad requirements for strength and durability of currency paper is the “double-fold” test. Currency paper must exceed 4,000 double folds. Any normal paper might survive 400.

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OVER THE HORIZON

Crane continues to seek out cleaner forms of cotton and flax waste to reduce the amount of waste generated and energy used by its raw material and papermaking processes.

Processing Cotton and Flax Before cotton and flax fibers can be made into paper, they must be refined chemically and mechanically. Even through cotton and flax are high-yield fibers, there are impurities that must be removed before the final papermaking process. Cotton fibers are protected from rain by a natural oil that needs to be stripped off prior to further processing. Since the majority are waste fibers, they arrive with small pieces of leaves and stems. Bales of flax contain portions of the plant stem that have been combed out during the textile-making process. All of these impurities must be eliminated so they don’t end up contaminating the final product. To tackle these impurities, Crane literally “cooks” its cotton and flax fibers in a large vessel using a solution of sodium hydroxide, commonly known as lye. Over a period of an hour or two, the oils and other contaminants are cooked away, leaving a much purer collection of papermaking fibers. G

Clockwise from upper left: Bales of recovered cotton fibers awaiting processing; a giant pressure boiler cooks out impurities; a pulper

From this point, since the waterproofing oils have been removed, Crane’s raw materials can now interact with water for further refining. First, they are cut to a shorter length, then run through a series of cleaners to remove any contaminants not cooked away earlier. To achieve necessary levels of brightness, cotton and flax are whitened using sodium hypochlorite, the same chemical used in household bleach.

(hence “beaten to a pulp”) breaks down the cotton and flax into individual fibers; the textile fibers are bleached and finally formed into thick sheets ready for the paper machine.

From here, about half of the water in the fiber slurry is pressed out, with the resulting processed raw materials ready to be shipped to the paper mill.

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OVER THE HORIZON

Crane continues to investigate reduction in the use of both sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite. Hydrogen peroxide has been evaluated for use in cotton rag processing, and the feasibility for its use in the process is being explored.

Waste It was noted in our introduction that 50 years ago Crane began taking steps to reduce its impact on the environment. The first major initiative was to divert the waste generated by the papermaking process from the Housatonic River. The industry’s first wastewater treatment facility was primitive by today’s standards, but was a very visible statement from a familyowned business about what could be accomplished outside of a regulatory framework. Crane undertook this initiative for several reasons: Appropriate technology had finally become available They saw that sometime down the road, it would be required G It was the right thing to do now G G

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Clockwise from upper left: Cotton and flax fibers not suitable for papermaking are processed in Crane’s wastewater treatment facility; water is first removed by suction and gravity; then by intense mechanical pressure; the dewatered waste fibers are composted with leaf and yard waste to create topsoil. Clean water is discharged to the Housatonic River.

Today’s wastewater treatment plant is a state-of-the-art chemical, physical and biological facility designed to treat up to 7 million gallons of water per day, while removing 99% of suspended and dissolved organic solids.

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OVER THE HORIZON

Because Crane’s waste materials are organic in nature, Crane is investigating their use as a feedstock to create biomass energy.

Once these organic materials left over from the pulp and papermaking processes are removed from the water discharged to the Housatonic, they become a raw material for a new product rather than an environmental liability. After several years of research and trials, Crane’s organic papermaking waste was certified by the state and federal governments for land application. At Crane’s wastewater facility, water is pressed out of the solids, then transported to a nearby composting operation where they are mixed with municipal leaf and yard waste. The end product – top soil – is used throughout the Northeast as the final cover for decommissioned landfills.

Energy Papermaking is an energy-intensive business. Crane uses several sources of energy in its U.S. currency papermaking operations, including electricity, natural gas and fuel oil. But Crane has used renewable energy to make currency paper for almost 30 years. In a ground-breaking initiative similar to creation of the first wastewater treatment facility, in 1979, Crane entered into an agreement with a fledgling waste-to-energy business called Vicon. An incineration plant was constructed on land Crane sold to Vicon for $1. The “Energy from Waste” plant incinerates municipal refuse to generate steam used for the company manufacturing operations. From 1981 to 1994, Crane pumped its papermaking waste to a dewatering device located at the Vicon Plant for incineration. Crane agreed to purchase the steam generated by the facility. G

Clockwise from upper left: Crane purchases 70 percent of its papermaking energy

Through this partnership, Crane was able to reduce its dependence on oil to generate steam. Vicon could also use their facility to attract greater volumes of waste material from around the region, thereby significantly reducing solid waste in landfills while producing renewable energy.

from a nearby waste-toenergy facility it helped create 30 years ago; steam generated is used in large part to dry United States currency paper; a steam line along the Housatonic River delivering energy to the mills.

Today, more than 70 percent of the energy used to making U.S. currency paper comes from that same waste-to-energy facility. As a result, Crane saves more than 2 million gallons of oil per year and emits up to 78 percent fewer greenhouse gases.

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OVER THE HORIZON

Crane is exploring the potential for an alternative-energy industrial park which would house biomass energy production and biodiesel manufacturing facilities. Crane is also investigating the feasibility of reintroducing hydroelectric production at one of its dams on the Housatonic which was first used to produce power in 1881.

Water – Crane’s First Resource Alongside quality raw materials, clean water is an essential component for papermaking. Returning it to the environment as clean as possible is an essential responsibility. Abundant clean water is why Zenas Crane decided to locate his paper mill here in Dalton. It is among the reasons we continue to make U.S. currency paper here in Dalton. Papermaking is a water-intensive process. Fibers must first be cleaned and refined using water as a suspension medium. To properly form currency paper on the paper machine, stock must contain about 99 percent water and 1 percent fiber. By the time paper arrives at the end of the machine, it will contain only 5 percent water.

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Left: This double-arch tail race passes underneath part of the former Old Stone Mill, now the Crane

U.S. currency paper requires up to 1 million gallons of water per day, drawn primarily from the underlying Limestone Aquifer via deep wells. One might think that water is a cheap, even free, resource. But water needs to be moved from one place to another. It needs to be heated and it needs to be cooled. It needs to be treated before being discharged. Every use of water requires energy, so it makes sense to devise ways to reduce the amount of water used and the energy put into it.

Museum of Papermaking. Right: The artist Nat White depicts young Zenas Crane as he admires the purity of the Housatonic River prior to opening his mill in 1801.

Crane has equipped several papermaking operations with fiber and water recovery systems that allow water to be captured and reused for appropriate processes. For instance, a portion of the water used to process raw materials is recovered and used during the refining of fibers. A portion of that water is recovered for other operations. At each step of the manufacturing process where recovery is possible, the quality of the water is monitored to determine its next best use. Water is also an excellent medium to store heat. Where appropriate, Crane is able to capture heat used in the papermaking process and extract it to heat water for later processing thereby saving not just water but energy as well.

Stewardship of the Environs As the largest land-holder, largest employer and largest consumer of resources in the area, Crane recognizes that not only its manufacturing operations, but also its conduct as a corporate citizen greatly impact the quality of the environment and the quality of life of the community in which it operates. As a family business, Crane many times is able to take a longer-term perspective on how it operates as a business and as a citizen. The company can look beyond its balance sheet and make decisions based on the quality of life of its community.

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Left: Taking down the Old Berkshire Dam restored more than one mile of the Housatonic River to its original course. Right: Part of the Appalachian Trail corridor passes through The Boulders, a 634-acre preserve created on Crane’s non-manufacturing land.

In 1993, Crane created The Boulders Conservation Area on 634 of its more than 1,300 acres of non-manufacturing land. The Boulders lies in three towns and includes part of the Appalachian Trail corridor as well as the direct recharge area for the Limestone Aquifer from which Crane draws its water to make U.S. currency paper. In 2004, the company granted a conservation easement to the Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game to ensure that the property would be protected and open to the public in perpetuity. Also in that year, Crane and the Housatonic Valley Associated partnered together to develop a Dalton Hinsdale Housatonic River Greenway. Crane donated land for the trail for a low-impact walkway that emphasizes the fragile surrounding natural resources and the history and culture of the river. In November of 2000, Crane formally decommissioned its Old Berkshire Dam on the Housatonic. The dam was first built by the company’s founder Zenas Crane in 1801 to provide water for an overshot waterwheel. Crane made its first banknotes in Dalton in 1806 with power generated by this dam. Two hundred years later, Crane became the first Massachusetts company to remove a dam on their property. By taking down the dam, Crane restored more than a mile of river to its original free-flowing state.

Crane’s Environmental Timeline 1952: Crane becomes involved in an environmental research and development program with the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement. Crane is still a member of the Council. 1954: Crane retains environmental consultants Malcolm Pirnie Associates to assist development of its first wastewater treatment facility. 1960: All Crane wastewater, previously discharged into the Housatonic River is collected and treated at a central waste water treatment facility. 1968: Additions made to Crane’s wastewater treatment facility to further treat effluent. 1981: Crane partners with waste-to-energy company to use Crane’s papermaking waste as a source of renewable steam energy. 1985: Water conservation projects begun to reuse water used in the raw materials processing and papermaking operations.

1990: All PCBs eliminated from the company. Chlorinated solvents banned from operations. 1992: Crane undertakes energy-reduction program designed to reduce the company’s electric consumption. 1993: Papermaking waste materials approved for composting and land application. 1994: Crane creates The Boulders Conservation Area in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game. The 634-acre property is dedicated to public recreation in perpetuity while protecting local aquifers. 1998: Crane’s Environmental Affairs Department becomes one of the first in the industry to be registered to IOS 14001 International Environmental Management Standards. 2000: Crane removes Old Berkshire Dam, restoring more than one mile of the Housatonic River to its original free-flowing condition. Crane was the first Massachusetts company to remove a dam.

1986: Secondary treatment added to wastewater treatment. G

Finished currency paper including the water mark and security thread for the twenty dollar bill is ready to ship to the Bureau of Engraving.

2004: Crane and Housatonic Valley Association partner to develop the Dalton Hinsdale Housatonic River Greenway for public access and educational opportunities for local schools. 2007: Crane signs leases with two alternative-energy development companies to generate electricity from biomass and to manufacture biodiesel.