Paper Packaging the Natural Choice
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Paper Packaging The Natural Choice Prin an Paper ae a grea enirnena ry e www.twosides.info “There aren’t many industries around that can aspire to becoming genuinely sustainable. The paper industry, however, is one of them; it is inherently sustainable.” Jonathon Porritt, Co-Founder, Forum for the Future. Paper Packaging The Natural Choice With a recycling rate of 85%, paper packaging is the most recycled packaging material in Europe. Eurostat, 2016 In recent years, the wider About Two Sides business community has evolved. Two Sides is a not for profit, global initiative It has developed an increased promoting the unique sustainable and attractive attributes of print, paper and paper awareness of corporate packaging. responsibility and accepts its Two Sides’ members span the entire print, accountability for maintaining paper and packaging value chain including: forestry, pulp, paper, packaging, inks and standards of ethical, social and chemicals, finishing, publishing, printing, environmental performance. envelopes and postal operators. Membership of Two Sides demonstrates your The paper, packaging and allied industries organisation’s commitment to the environment recognise a responsibility to continually improve and continuing desire to improve practices. their environmental credentials and also address consumer concerns about the Find out more, www.twosides.info/join-us environmental impacts of their products. Consumer, business and political interest in the packaging debate has never been so apparent. Now is the time to ensure that the fundamental sustainable attributes of paper packaging are actively communicated to all those for whom paper touches their lives every day. Paper packaging is durable, attractive, renewable and recyclable and will be an invaluable material as we move towards a regenerative, circular economy. This booklet sets out 7 powerful reasons why paper packaging is the natural choice for brands, retailers and consumers. Prin an Paper ae a grea enirnena ry e www.twosides.info 2 Paper packaging can minimise environmental impacts 4 Paper packaging is recycled more than any other packaging material 6 Paper packaging protects more resources than it uses 8 Paper packaging supports healthy forests in Europe 10 Paper packaging helps to tackle climate change 12 Paper packaging is attractive and impactful 14 Paper packaging is preferred by consumers 16 Sources 01 THE FACT: Paper packaging can minimise environmental impacts 02 Well-designed, efficiently produced, appropriately used and responsibly disposed of packaging provides multiple benefits. It’s essential for minimising damage to products and extending their useful life, for example the shelf-life of food, so that all the resources used to make those products are not wasted. It allows efficient distribution and safe and convenient access to goods. It communicates vital information to the customer and it can provide pleasure to those receiving gifts or enjoying luxury items. Excessive and inappropriate use of materials, The high recyclability of paper and cardboard Paper offers inspiration – a widely or thoughtless disposal, cannot be excused, can also help consumers to ‘do their bit’ by used and recyclable packaging but it’s important to consider each packaging allowing responsible disposal and maximum solution on its own merits and in relation to recycling. material that is relatively benign if the job it has to do. leaked into the environment. 3 Paper packaging is the natural choice for Sustainable packaging is also the World Economic Forum, 2016 minimising environmental impact and preferred solution with 96% of brand Paper packaging (which includes paper, card, provides an effective and sustainable owners and retailers stating that the corrugated cardboard, cartons and sacks) is packaging solution. use of sustainable packaging is often the sustainable packaging choice. Its important to their business with just Packaging exists to deliver products to key raw material, wood fibre, is a renewable over half (52%) saying this is either resource and it’s also the most recycled of all consumers in perfect condition. 4 ‘very important’ or ‘critical’. packaging materials. Well-designed packaging meets the Pro Carton / Smithers PIRA, 20172 The European paper industry can requirements of the product while demonstrate a long-held commitment to minimising economic and resource efficiency5 and to minimising its environmental impacts of both the contribution to climate change.6 product and its package. Good packaging uses only as much of the right kind of material as necessary to perform this task. Europen, 20191 03 THE FACT: Paper packaging is recycled more than any other packaging material 04 Recyclable packaging is high on consumer priorities and is increasingly driving product design and the choice of sustainable packaging materials. Packaging being easy to recycle and being Globally, only 14% of plastic made of natural, renewable materials are in packaging is collected for recycling. the top three attributes rated by consumers as When additional value losses in most important.7 Brand owners and retailers In Europe, 67% of packaging (across all also recognise that recycling of packaging is material types) was recycled in 2016. sorting and reprocessing are factored important to the consumer – 81% find it in, only 5% of material value is important and 48% even say it is critical for • Paper & cardboard packaging 85% retained for a subsequent use. 8 • Metallic packaging 78% their brand. Turning waste into a resource is World Economic Forum, 201612 key to a circular economy.9 • Glass packaging 74% • Plastic packaging 42% For paper and cardboard, despite having the The paper industry has been recycling best recycling record, further progress is being for centuries. As environmental Source: Eurostat, 2016. made with targeted initiatives for drinks awareness has grown, the ease with packaging. In 2017, 48% of all beverage 13 which paper can be recycled is an cartons sold in Europe were recycled. For paper coffee cups, technical requirements for increasingly valued attribute. a barrier material to prevent leaks can make Recycling is ecologically and recycling trickier and their ‘on the go’ appeal economically sound and recovered hinders efficient collection. But the industry, paper is a vital raw material for paper working with brand owners and other production. stakeholders, has committed to tackling this issue and initiatives such as co-collection with European Recovered Paper Council, 201710 beverage cartons are showing promising 14 The good news is that most packaging is signs of progress. already recycled, especially paper-based Paper and cardboard packaging, besides packaging. According to data from the being recyclable are also made from recycled European Commission’s Eurostat database, fibre! About 51% of cartons in Europe are an average of 67% of packaging (across all made from recycled fibre15 and recycled paper material types) was recycled in 2016. For provides 88% of the raw material for new paper and cardboard, the recycling rate was corrugated boxes.16 85% - the highest of any packaging material.11 05 THE FACT: Paper packaging protects more resources than it uses 06 Packaging is essential for minimising damage to products and extending their useful life. Without sufficient packaging, there would be a greater risk of all the resources used to make the product being wasted and, on average, ten times more resources – materials, energy and water – are invested in products compared with the resources used to produce their packaging.17 It is important that packaging is well- Well-designed packaging meets the The European forest fibre and paper designed, efficiently produced, appropriately requirements of the product and industry is at the forefront of a used and responsibly disposed of. consumer while minimising climate-friendly bioeconomy in which If there were no packaging, food and environmental impacts of both the renewable raw materials replace fossil other goods would be lost due to product and its package. resources and are “kept in the loop”, handling damage, lack of hygiene Pro Carton, 201720 improving both the environment and the quality of everyday life. and insufficient information on Paper packaging is fundamental to a circular CEPI, 201722 product use. Using folding cartons to economy and has the benefit that it is based package goods has many on wood fibres which are renewable, Producers of paper-based packaging environmental advantages. recyclable and sustainable. 60% of European continually demonstrate ongoing ECMA, 201918 pulp and paper mills’ energy consumption is improvements in resource efficiency. For bioenergy and 96% of on-site electricity example, the beverage carton industry now production is through efficient combined heat produces 40% more cartons with the same Corrugated Paper Packaging is visible and power (CHP) units. The European paper amount of wood fibres as 20 years ago23 and wherever goods are produced, industry has achieved (between 1991 and the carbon intensity to produce one tonne of transported and displayed! Since its 2017) substantial reductions in energy and paper sacks has been reduced by 20%, partly invention almost 150 years ago, it has water consumption, as well as emissions to by reducing their weight through improved air and water, despite a 45% increase in paper quality.24 ensured the safe and hygienic transit production.21 of goods, protecting and wrapping about 70% of the world’s products from producer to