At The Green Mercantile we are committed to doing business in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. We would like to help other businesses achieve these goals as well by educating and assisting businesses in their move toward safer, less polluting and more environmentally sustainable practices. Businesses that incorporate these principles into their daily operations can achieve reductions in operating costs, improvement of their company image to the growing numbers of environmentally conscious customers, safer workplaces for employees and improved employee morale.

In our efforts to do this we will begin by offering non-toxic cleaning products and high post consumer content, processed chlorine-free copy paper. We will feature Restore the Earth*/Safe & Clean Cleaning Products manufactured right here in Minnesota. Restore the Earth*/Safe & Clean Cleaning Products have been subjected to numerous performance, safety and environmental integrity tests and were recently selected as an acceptable manufacturer for the 1998-2002 State of Minnesota cleaning product contract. Restore the Earth*/Safe & Clean Cleaning Products scored the highest of all the 26 competing manufacturers!

The copy paper that we have to offer is processed chlorine-free and has high post-consumer waste content. The Envirographic 100 is 100% post-consumer waste, processed chlorine-free and comes in 20# white and colors. It is an excellent quality copy paper.

The Roland New Life DP100 is composed of 80% recycled with 60% post-consumer waste and 20% virgin fiber. It’s recycled component is processed chlorine-free and the virgin fiber part is totally chlorine-free. (Please see definitions!) This is also an excellent quality paper and is available in 20# and 24#, white only.

Processed Chlorine-Free (PCF): This term is reserved for papers that have recycled content. It means that the paper has not been whitened with any chlorine or chlorine-compounds. If you were to test the paper for chlorine compound you could find chlorinated compounds from it’s previous "life."

Totally Chlorine-Free (TCF): This term is reserved for virgin fiber paper. It means that the paper has not been whitened with any chlorine or chlorine-compounds. If you were to test this paper for chlorinated compounds there would be none.

Elemental Chlorine-Free (ECF): Refers to papers that are whitened without the use of elemental chlorine (or free chlorine – Cl2 ). Instead chlorine dioxide is used. We do not consider this a good alternative. It still produces the highly toxic substance dioxin (among others). It doesn’t matter how much you reduce the amount of dioxin produced when we know it is the most potent toxin known to humans. There is no safe level! We do not and will not sell ECF papers.

We have these cleaning and paper products to offer to businesses and organizations at volume discounts.