Increasing importance of the use of recovered paper

Paper is indispensable daily necessities in the modern society, supporting industries and culture from the side.
What we usually call “paper” really consists of two types:

• Paper: Newspaper, magazine paper, printing paper, copy paper, wrapping paper, tissue paper, etc.
• Paperboard: Corrugated box, folding carton, etc.

With the advancement of our society, economy, and lifestyle, the applications of paper have become very diverse and the importance of paper keeps increasing in such diverse application fields. In this context, recoverd paper has become increasingly more valuable from the viewpoint of securing raw materials in the face of the rise in paper consumption resulting from more dynamic economic activities.

Recovered paper began to be used as raw material for papermaking in Japan during the 1950s shortly after the end of World War II. Initially, it was used to produce paperboard, and during the 1980s, it also began to be used to produce paper grades such as printing paper. With the rise of environmental awareness and the advances in technology, the utilization rate of recovered paper has kept going up year by year. Today, it is about 64%, one of the highest in the world.

Paper recycling contributes greatly to the effective use of resources through a reduction in waste. For this reason, the mixing ratio of recycled pulp is taken up as s criteria in the Act on Promoting Green Purchasing and the Eco Mark labeling. FSC, PEFC (SGEC) and other forest certification programs give certification to recycled paper products, in addition to paper products produced from certified pulp.

The Japanese paper industry will work to promote further use of recovered paper while paying attention to the application of the paper and the burden to the environment.
Recovered paper, which is unsuitable as raw material for papermaking, is used to make RPF fuel for thermal recycling, so that waste would be minimized.