August 30, 2013
The European Recovered Paper Council (ERPC) announced an impressive 71.7 per cent paper recycling rate for Europe. In its annual monitoring report, the ERPC revealed that current paper consumption in Europe has dropped by 13 per cent to the level of 1998, but the recycled amount of paper is 1.5 times higher than in 1998 – a remarkable achievement.
Since 2000, the ERPC has worked consistently on improving the quantity and quality of paper available for recycling. The ERPC monitoring report releases extra insights into the wider context of paper recycling revealing that Europe is the global champion in this field. Furthermore, the ERPC reports that in Europe paper fibre is recycled an astounding 3.5 times a year; worldwide the average is 2.4 times.
The number of European countries with a recycling rate below 60 per cent has decreased, whereas there are an established 13 countries where paper recycling rates exceed 70 per cent. To increase paper recycling especially in Central Europe, several ERPC members are partners in EU funded projects working to improve collection systems in that region.
Commenting on the results of the report, ERPC Secretary Jori Ringman-Beck, said, “The European paper value chain devotes huge efforts year after year to simplify paper recycling for citizens and consumers in offices and at home. The figures in the report prove that paper recycling is truly an industry “made in Europe”. And in line with EU policies it needs to be safeguarded to remain so.”
