Paper, perhaps the most widely used material in everyday life, consist of a network of plant fibers with a high cellulose content that have been treated using various water-based processes, placed on a sieve, and finally dried. Although these fibers can be obtained from numerous different plants and trees, the most important source used is conifer wood due to the length and strength of its fibers. One third of all the wood processed worldwide is used in paper and pulp production.
Paper manufacture consumes a large quantity of resources, especially water and energy, although it also requires large quantities of raw materials and chemicals. Approximately 2-18 m3 of water (depending on the effluent management system used and whether water is recovered) and between 2 and 2.5 tons of wood are required to produce one ton of paper.