Circularity impact refers to the positive effects of adopting circular economy practices, such as reducing waste, conserving resources, and minimizing environmental harm by reusing, recycling, and repurposing materials throughout a product's lifecycle.

Wood Use measures the wood needed to produce paper reported in the U.S. as short tons of fresh wood. It excludes residues left behind during harvesting, like roots and slash, which, if counted, could double the total. Total Energy tracks all energy used across a paper's life cycle, covering renewable and nonrenewable resources, including wood-derived energy like black liquor. Greenhouse Gases are calculated emissions of CO2 from fossil fuels, methane from decomposing paper, and short-lived climate pollutants like black carbon. It also considers carbon storage loss in logged forests. Water Consumption measures the process and cooling water consumed or degraded throughout the life cycle of paper production. Forest Disturbance assesses the impact of paper production on forests, comparing harvested sites to untouched forests over 80 years old. It includes recovery potential and the long-term effects of forest management on ecosystem health. Threatened Species tracks the potential number of species at risk due to logging for paper production. Using the IUCN Red List, we estimate impacts based on the fiber supply areas of pulp and paper mills in North America.