Slower growth in Europe’s paper recycling rate

Archiv – After a 2.3% jump in 2001, Europe’s paper recycling rate edged 0.6% higher to 52.7% last year. Collection and utilisation of recovered paper increased by 2.5% and 2.3% respectively to 45.7 million tonnes and 43.1 million tonnes.After a 2.3% jump in 2001, Europe’s paper recycling rate edged 0.6% higher to 52.7% last year. Collection and utilisation of recovered paper increased by 2.5% and 2.3% respectively to 45.7 million tonnes and 43.1 million tonnes.
The steady increase in recovered paper usage continued last year while its share of the European paper industry’s raw material consumption remained stable following an increase in 2001. These figures are explained by market developments: newsprint production decreased while production of other graphic papers improved; furthermore, recovered paper prices peaked in the summer of 2002 and, in many cases, more than doubled.
Ulf Frölander, Chairman of the European Recovered Paper Council (ERPC), observed: ’Due to the strong demand outside Europe (mainly Asia), recovered paper net exports went up by 7.4%. These show the importance of global market developments and the implications these might have for paper recycling in Europe.’
As the recycling rate increases, further incremental growth is set to become more difficult. Knowledge of the potential for recovered paper collection has been improved through a study on non-collectable/non-recyclable paper products, which found that 19% of paper products put on the market cannot be collected or recycled due to technical reasons or to their use in permanent applications such as cigarette paper, tissue paper and archives. ’Taking this into account, we see that the maximum collection rate would not be 100%, but rather 81% or even less,’ pointed out Mr Frölander. ’This effectively reveals the true potential of paper recycling in Europe.’
The role of legislation and policies is gaining increasing importance in this context, and
the industry has high expectations of the Thematic Strategy on Prevention and Recycling of Waste currently being prepared by the European Commission.
’A continuous increase in paper recycling is a true demonstration of a right approach to
sustainable development where the environmental, social and economic pillars are taken
into account in a balanced way,’ says Kim Holmström from the Enterprise Directorate
General of the European Commission, who sits in on ERPC meetings as an observer.
The European Declaration on Paper Recovery represents a voluntary measure that has
contributed to the Thematic Strategies targets, as well as to the Community’s overall
target of sustainable development. The industry would like the European Commission to
recognise the importance of voluntary measures when drafting its Thematic Strategies in
the hope that this will lead to the supportive and stable framework required for paper recycling to continue to increase in Europe.