Launch of latest Declaration on Paper Recycling

Europe – Ulrich Höke, Chairman of the European Recovered Paper Council (ERPC), and Soledad Blanco, Director at the European Commission’s DG Environment, have officially launched the European Declaration on Paper Recycling 2011-2015, which sets out measures to optimise the management of paper throughout the value chain from paper and board manufacturing, converting and printing through to the collection, sorting, transportation and recycling of used paper and board products.

The ERPC was set up after the successful launch of the first ‘European Declaration on Paper Recovery’ as an industry initiative in November 2000 with the aim of monitoring the progress made towards meeting the targets set out in the Declaration. In 2006 and now in 2011, the industry has committed itself to meeting new voluntary recycling rate targets; the current goal is set at 70% in the EU-27 plus Switzerland and Norway by 2015 – ‘which is higher than in any other region in the world’, the ERPC points out. It also includes qualitative targets in areas such as waste prevention, eco-design and research & development.

The launch of the new Declaration took place at the European Paper Recycling Awards, held at the European Parliament in Brussels.