Big Jump in 2001 European Recycling Rate
The main target of the European Declaration is to recycle 56% by 2005 of the paper and board products consumed in Europe, which means the industry has to increase its recycling with an additional 10 million tonnes. In 2001, the recycling rate has now made a big jump towards meeting this target, as it reached 52.1% - a remarkable achievement. 2001 has been a peculiar year for the paper and board industry: on the one hand paper consumption registered a sharp decrease (-4.0%), and on the other hand the utilisation of recovered paper increased by 0.8% to 42 million tonnes. The combined effect of these two trends is that the recycling rate jumped from 49.7% in 2000 to 52.1% in 2001. The industry is well on its way to meet the 56% target recycling rate by 2005. Because of decreased consumption of paper and board, less paper was available for collection and recycling. In spite of that, more was collected and recycled, which can be considered a great achievement and shows the commitment the industry has towards recycling, says Ulf Frölander, ERPC Chairman. Paper recycling is a perfect example of the paper industrys sustainable use of resources. Recovered paper has become a major raw material representing 42% of the total volume of the raw materials used by the European paper industry in 2001, bringing it closer to the share of virgin fibres (43%). The continuous increase in paper recycling has been very encouraging and shows in a concrete way how the industry contributes to a more efficient use of natural resources and improved sustainable development says Mr Kim Holmström, Head of Unit Forest-based and Related Industries in DG Enterprise. The ERPC has continued its monitoring of the industrys progress towards meeting the various targets set out initially in the European Declaration on Paper Recovery (2000). In this context it has undertaken a number of measures to report on progress, and improve transparency. One of these is of course the 2nd Annual Report which gives a detailed account of the achievement of the latest European recycling rate figure, but its action programme has also included other projects. One of these is the event on collection that will take place in Brussels on 28 October. The event, Spotlight on Paper Collection and Recycling, will take place in the Brussels Sheraton Hotel & Towers and will include a debate on the existing and future challenges facing the increasing demand for recovered paper in terms of collection, costs and quality. MORE, ,In addition, the ERPC has launched its own website which concentrates on providing up to date information on paper recovery and paper recycling, including current publications, events, and facts & figures related to the issue of recovery and recycling. The website, www.paperrecovery.org will be live on 11 October 2002. The European Recovered Paper Council (ERPC) The European Recovered Paper Council (ERPC) was set up after the launch of The European Declaration on Paper Recovery in November 2000 with the aim to monitor the progress made towards meeting the targets set out in the European Declaration. The ERPC consists of the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI), the European Recovered Paper Association (ERPA) and the European Federation of Corrugated Manufacturers (FEFCO) as its Signatories. In addition it also has Supporters, which include the European Federation of Waste Management and Environmental Services (FEAD), the European Paper Merchants Association (EUGROPA) and the International Confederation for Printing and Allied Industries (INTERGRAF) as well as the European Commission Directorates General Enterprise and Environment, who act as Observers. In the Declaration the industry pledges to take actions to further improve its environmental performance and increase the recycling rate to 56% by 2005. This increase means that the industry should recycle an additional 10 million tonnes of recovered paper. The ERPC monitors the progress of the Declaration openly and transparently and co-ordinates the joint work to achieve the set targets. For further information on the ERPC and its work, please consult its website www.paperrecovery.org or contact the ERPC secretariat, Mr Esa Hyvarinen, on tel +32 2 627 49 28, or email: e.hyvarinen@cepi.org ,Contact information: CEPI,Avenue Louise 250,Box 80,B-1050 Brussels,Tel +32 2 627 49 11 ,Fax +32 2 646 81 37,www.cepi.org ERPA,c/o BIR ,Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 24,B-1050 Brussels,Tel +32 2 627 57 70,Fax +32 2 627 57 73,www.erpa.info FEFCO,Avenue Louise 250,B-1050 Brussels,Tel +32 2 646 40 70,Fax +32 2 646 64 60,www.fefco.org
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