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Sarah – This is all thrilling and delightful! Thank you for doing us this favor. When you do something good for others, you do something good for yourself.

Anthony Kiedis, RHCP		  
 
 
BACKGROUND
In 2002, Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Anthony Kiedis and Flea ended up in the automobile of Spitfire’s Sarah Haynes. In the car were posters and laminates created on tree-free paper, made from hemp, flax and post consumer waste. The band took interest, so Sarah encouraged them to be the first major band to release a record on paper made with hemp and flax. They in turn challenged her to get it done. The record was to print in just 30 days.

CHALLENGE
Locate high-end/ premium paper companies that utilize post consumer waste, and/or non-wood sources such as hemp and flax. Select the best possible company for the RHCP’s needs. Make sure this company could handle an order of this magnitude (3 million+ records). Convince Warner Brothers to support the initiative. Convince their printer to test-print paper choices, including automatic tray card suctioning. Test until the RHCP, their managers & their label were satisfied that the hand painted art on the cover of their album looked exactly the same as it did on standard tree paper. Work with the eco paper company of choice to come to a price that was competitive with tree paper. Do this entire project A-Z, before the record released world-wide just 30 days later.

SOLUTION
Living Tree Paper Company’s Déjà Vu matte coated brand, made of 10% hemp/flax, 50% post consumer waste, 20% pre consumer waste, and 20% responsibly harvested wood.

RESULTS
Just four weeks after Sarah met Anthony and Flea, Warner Brothers Records printed "By The Way", the first major album booklet printed on paper made with non-wood sources. With over 3 million CD booklets run, the RHCP’s saved 120,000 pounds of tree paper, which saved approximately 180 tons of trees from being cut.

* After the RHCP’s created the model, many other bands followed suit. The Spitfire Agency & Living Tree Paper have since partnered up, and now work with Alanis Morissette, the Foo Fighters, Madonna, Fleetwood Mac, Jackson Browne, Linkin Park, Bonnie Raitt, REM, Dave Mathews, and many more. One year later, The Spitfire Agency convinced Warner Brothers records to drive the price of eco paper down for the entire music industry, by committing the bulk of their yearly business to Living Tree. For more information, please see the case study for Living Tree Paper.