Let’s get this straight...

To say you are CHLORINE FREE means
that you have been CERTIFIED and bear these logos:

(Click on a logo to see what it means.)

Anything less...

...suggests the manufacturing process does not meet the high standards the CFPA has upheld for over 15 years. Take pride in our commitment to the environment and never accept lesser standards for the sake of integrity to sustainability.

Unfortunately...

...this quality is not measured as effectively by other companies that say they are committed to the environment. These companies skip essential elements in certification yet they say they are credible. Certification is the only way to know that their claims are reliable because a third party reviews and inspects the manufacturing process to sanction their environmental practices.

We need to pull together and make chlorine bleaching
as outdated as the incandescent light bulb.

Keep reading to find out how we have been working toward this goal.

In A World Of Symbols…
Where Does Accountability Fall?

Understanding recycled content, especially as a consumer, is not as easy as recognizing a symbol. When assigning or reading recycled content symbols, the industry and consumers tend to trust the producer, who trusts a supplier, who has the nearly impossible chore of sorting mountains of paper to bales of pre-industrial, post-industrial, mixed office waste, printer scrap, mill broke, recycled, recyclable, etc. to accurately determine recycled content.

Everyday, more and more consumers are becoming influenced by what they learn about the recycling issues and processes that affect their environment. The CFPA works with manufacturing companies and governments worldwide to help educate and assure consumers that the products they buy are safe and made without chlorine compounds. Through TCF/PCF certification, we guide consumers' purchasing choices, support government decisions and encourage the industry to move beyond recycling.

So, in a market where environmental terms and symbols are misinterpreted by consumers and unsubstantiated by manufacturing, how do we, the Chlorine Free Products Association (CFPA), eliminate this confusion and move the industry beyond recycling?

By introducing the new Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) and Processed Chlorine Free (PCF) Certification Program to companies that produce chlorine free products.

We push the figurative idea of recycling papers and manufacturing recycled content paper products to a higher level on behalf of consumers, the industry and the environment. The TCF and PCF certification marks were developed to illustrate that the papers carrying these symbols meet the highest environmental specifications, exceeding current standards and consumers' expectations.

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Processed Chlorine Free is reserved for recycled content paper. This includes all recycled fibers used as a feedstock that meet EPA guidelines for recycled or post-consumer content. PCF papers have not been rebleached with chlorine containing compounds. Minimum of 30% post-consumer content is required. The PCF emblem is the only certification mark in the world that clearly identifies: No chlorine or chlorine compounds were used in the papermaking process. All virgin components need to be certified as total chlorine free and require a chain of customdy for all fiber. How the mill determined post-consumer content. The mill has no current or pending violations. The mill does not use old growth forest for any of the virgin pulp. Provides the mill with recommendations on product quality and increased productivity. The product contains at least 30% post-consumer content.

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Totally Chlorine Free is reserved for virgin fiber papers. TCF papers do not use pulp produced with chlorine or chlorine containing compounds as bleaching agents. The TCF emblem is the only certification mark in the world that clearly identifies: No chlorine or chlorine compounds were used in the papermaking process. All virgin components need to be certified as total chlorine free and require a chain of customdy for all fiber. The mill has no current or pending violations. The mill does not use old growth forest for any of the virgin pulp. Provides the mill with recommendations on product quality and increased productivity.

This certification program is the only program in the world to take recycling to the next level of environmentally sound manufacturing. Only after comprehensive mill audits by industry experts is a product certified. In addition, a product bearing the TCF or PCF emblem is subject to ongoing testing, inspection and enforcement.

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Download TCF/PCF Certification Marks in CFPA's
Members Only Area.*

* The CFPA Members area is password protected. If you are a current CFPA member and do not have your password, please contact info@chlorinefreeproducts.org for access.

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English Version:
CFPA TCF and PCF Certification Mark Usage Authorization Agreement

French Version:
CFPA Entente Utilisation Logo

The Authorization Agreement is available as an Adobe Acrobat .PDF file. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view and print the agreement.


Click here to download a FREE copy of Acrobat Reader.