Various reports suggest that the energy requirements for producing pulp from kenaf are about 20 percent less than those for wood pulp, mostly due to the lower lignin content of kenaf. Because the kenaf fibers are naturally whiter than tree pulp, less bleaching is required to create a bright sheet. The first production run of Earth Care's kenaf paper was bleached with sodium hypochlorite. However, subsequent runs will be bleached with hydrogen peroxide, an environmentally-safe bleaching agent that does not create dioxin. Kenaf is considered a hardy plant that requires a minimum of fertilizers, pesticides and water in comparison to conventional row crops.
All insecticides have damaging environmental consequences.
Large-scale kenaf plantations would essentially be grown like corn or soybeans. Further kenaf production should be directed towards ecologically sustainable farming techniques. A recent report from the National Academy of Sciences concluded that the current use of chemical fertilizers and insecticides does not necessarily result in better crop yields than does the use of organic farming methods. In 1970, kenaf newsprint produced in International Paper Company's mill in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, was successfully used by six U.S. newspapers. Again in 1987, a Canadian mill produced 13 rolls of kenaf newsprint which were used by four U.S. newspapers to print experimental issues.