Ever taken the time to consider the history - and future - of paper? Here are a few fun facts in a handy infographic!

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1. Paper was invented over 2,000 years ago in China. The invention is often traditionally been attributed to Cai Lun from the Han Dynasty around 105 AD, although archaeological evidence of papermaking has since been found that predates this.

 2. Paper is one of the few truly sustainable products.

3. The largest sheet of handmade paper to date measured 14.9m x 10m (49 ft 0.5 in x 32 ft 10 in) and was made by students of Colegio Salesiano Don Bosco de Ypacaraí in Paraguay in 2015. It took around 250 students and was created from recycled newspaper. 

4. The largest producers of paper by quantity in the world are the United States and Canada, followed by Finland, Japan and Sweden. 

5. Paper is one of the worlds most recycled materials. In the UK, over 78% of paper is recycled! 

6. It takes 75,000 tress to provide paper for one edition of the Sunday New York Times. 

References:
3.  https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-sheet-of-handmade-paper
5.  https://www.yellow-woods.co.uk/paper-recycling-in-the-uk-facts-and-figures.html

6.  https://www.colorado.edu/ecenter/recycling/resources/curricular-resources/recycling-facts