Sustainability and Circularity

The European paper industry is building on decades of work done to make its industrial model sustainable and circular, making it one of the most sustainable industries in Europe. It relies on raw materials, pulp derived from processing wood, which is intrinsically sustainable as it comes from sustainably managed forests; it has achieved a 31% decarbonisation from 2005 to date and it has become and anchor industry for industrial symbiosis, sharing materials, energy heat and water. One of our initiatives under sustainability is 4evergreen, the alliance to boost the contribution of fibre-based packaging in a circular and sustainable economy that minimises climate and environmental impact.

Paper is recycled at a rate of 71.4% (2021 data) in Europe, which is the highest recycling rate for paper in the world. Paper based packaging is even recycled at 82%. More paper based packaging is recycled than all other packaging materials combined. The paper industry thrives to further increase recycling and material use of recycling residues through the sharing of best practises and the development of cross-sectorial alliances.

For information on paper recycling, visit www.paperforrecycling.eu.

Activities

PRESS RELEASE 4evergreen: a unique industry alliance to boost the contribution of fibre-based packaging in a circular economy

PRESS RELEASE Sustainable future of paper-based products: First European recyclability guidelines for optimal packaging design

Joint Press Release – Investors Won’t Eyeball Sustainable Tech Without A Coherent Framework. Can Brussels Help?

PRESS RELEASE: Despite a challenging international context, European paper recycling resilient in 2017

EU’s new circular bioeconomy strategy – European forest fibre and paper industry ready to lead

Single-use plastics – paper industry shares MEPs’ perplexity on ill-defined “catch-all” product scope

PRESS RELEASE: CEN workshop Milan set to advance standardisation needs for European paper and board value chain