Recycled Paper ,Markets, Part I: Mills Here, Markets Where? . ometimes when you think you’ve directing federal agencies to buy printing reached the top of the mountain and writing paper with a minimum of yau’ve been climbing forever, you dis- 20% postconsumer content, many compa- S ‘ cover that you’ve not finished the climb, nies decided that the time was right. only reached a vantage point from which Over the next three years, at least ten , ’ to see how much more needs to be done. new hi&grade deinked pulp mills were This past year’s experience with the new built, with capacity to produce more than deinking mills suggests such a “reward.” . a minion tons of postconsumer pulp. While many recycled paper advocates Regrettably, they had the misfortune to believed that simply building new. deinking open at one of the most inopportune times mills would break the bottleneck of too lit- in the paper industry cycle, wh,&~wastepa- . tle high-grade deinked pulp and allow the per prices were high, virgin pulp prices printing and writing paper industry to were low, and many potential customers . expand its use of postconsumer materials, were cutting back on recycled paper many observers now say that too many because of high prices. were built at the same time. Indeed, two of “The woes that have befallen our mills the new mills have already closed, after are the same as for the paper industry as a being open only a matter of months. whole,” laments Randy Wolf, executive director of the Recycled Pulp & Paper NEWDEINKING MILLS STRUGGLING - Coalition (RPPC). Two of the new inde- For years recycled paper advocates pendent deinking mills have already shut hounded the paper industry, insisting that down, one in Massachusetts and the ojher the only thing holding back development in West Virginia. “The world paper and of printing and writing papers with post- pulp market, including virgin, is in a consumer content was the lack of state-of- depression,” he explains. “The cost of pulp the-art deinking mills. The market was is very low.” He doesn’t expect it to there, they argued, recycled paper was not rebound soon. .. a fad, and more buyers would specify recy- cled if the paper were more available at OPERATIONALISSUES more competitive prices. Some of the problems, accdrding to In fact, many paper mills had been con- Wolf, are practical operational issues. The sidering investing in deinking for quite two closed pulp mills had quality problems some time. When President Clinton signed that were correctable, but the weak markets Executive Order 12873 in October 1993, continued on page 6 ,5;. C..........................................~.....................................................,........... .rf counprarly 5oOpapers, over two dozen ‘.: What was truh disappointing, though, was to see how much the new The bad news is that 30papen lowered deinkedpulp milk are struggling, This became clear as we talked with market- and cover and script papers eliminat- ing directors and experts at many rerycIedpaper milk to get a picture of toh9i the fideral Lkecutive Order was recycledpaper production and markets. The result of those talks is a two-part ose requirements. (See Greenline, &ne 1 am’&. Part I @. 1) examines the impact on the markets of the new deinking 14papm rdised it, mostly uncoatedpapm inmasing their previ milk that have come on-line over the past threeyeatr. Part II, in our next 10% postconswmer cmtent to 20% to meet the fiecutive Order. But issue inueitigates the changing reiponse of buyers and speciJiers, the cawesfor the good news is that there are 51 new papers to artd to the list, includ- price premiums on some recycledpapers and what buyers can do about it. ing IO TCF or PCFpapers and two that are wholly or partially tree- The bottom line - Keep speci$ing recycledpaper! pee. Thirty-sixpapers were discontinued. - Swan Kinsella C 0 NS E RVAT R E E’S TABLEOF CONTENTS Letter From the Editor ................................................................................................................... 1 This year? Annual Guide covers nearly 500papers, over two dozen more than last year;. Our talks with marketing directors at recycledpaper mills revealed that the new deinking pulp mills are struggling and Consemtree’s Greenline consumer demand has weakened. Keep specifiing recycled Recycled Paper Markets, Part I: Mills Here, Markets Where?........................................................ 1 ~ March 1997 Ten new high-grade deinkingpulp mills have opened in the past three years and two have already shut down. Volume SNumber 1 The problems stem from mill chemistries having a di$cult time cleaning postconsumer scrap, which is dirtier than it used to be, and low-cost virgin pulp undercutting deinkedpulp prices. But recycled appears to be Published by Conservatree institutionalized in some parts of the printing and writing paper industvy and mill experts are positive about the long-term&ture for recycledpaper. Executive Editor The “Best” List .............................................................................................................................. 3 Alan Davis The most environmentally sound papers culledfiom nearly 500 high quality sheets. Editor Definitions ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Susan Kinsella Clear, strong definitions are essential to be sure you get what you expert. The meaning of some terms have Paper Guide Research. reached general consensus, while other terms may mean different things to different people. Termsfor recycled Gerard Gl&on and chlorine-fieepaper are listed with recommended definitionsfillowed by explanations. contributors The Mobro Principles.................................................................................................................... 7 Evadna S. Lynn More than 75 companies and organizations have endorsed the Mobro Princ$les, committing to buying recycledpaper meeting meanin& content requirementsfor at least 75% of their printing and writing paper Bob Schaeffer purchases. Includes a comparison of Mobro to the federal guidelines. Graphic Design Specifications: How To Encourage Competitive Recycled Paper Bids ......................................... ..8 Andrea Soh How you describe the paper you want and how you structure bids and contracts can make the difference between buying recycledpaper or eliminating the opportunity. This issue is printed on recycled paper. Markets: Paper Prices Decreased In 1996 ...................................................................................... 8 Outsia5 pages: Despite periodic attempts by producers to raise prices, the price trend was downward during the year. Domtar Sandpiper 70# Text, Meanwhile, supply rose, We expect prices to remain generally stable during the first ha4 with gradual but Lily of the Valley, modest gains in the second halfof 1777. containing How To Use the Guide to Environmentally Sound Paper ............................................................. 9 lOOOJ0 postcansumer ’ Explanations of symbols and abbreviations in the Environmentally Sound Papers charts. fiber, PCF . Environmentally Sound Papers .................................................................................................... 10 1009b@tdlU@Ed(Iba Over 500 environmentally sound papers by grade, with recycled content, bleaching process, tree-free status, .g)1oOWpodcorrUrIkr and technical information. Listings show Mobro ranking, relevant certifications, and Conservatreei recommendations. Imia5 pages: Focus On Tree-Free Papers .......................................................................................................... 20 Wood-pulppaper has so overtaken our production systems in North America that we are having to rediscover Conservatree Four Seasons tree-free papermaking all over again. Some companies are reviving centuries-old traditions of making paper 70# Text, Cypress, from a wide variety ofplants and agricultural by-products to meet commercial uses in the US. Mt finish; containing 60% recycled fiber, Brand Name Index ...................................................................................................................... 21 15% postconsumer Each paper listed by brand name, with reference to how to find them in the Guide. Mills and Phone Numbers ........................................................................................................... 23 Printed using low VOC inks. The best phone numbers to order swatchbooks and locate distributors. CyberPaper: Internet Web Sites for Environmentally Sound Papers ............................................ 24 A year ago, there were jGw sites of interest to environmentaily soundpaper buyers, although there was a lot ofpromise. Since then, some of those promises blossomed and others wilted. Check out the Internet sites listed here. CONSWATREE 10 Lombard Street, Suite 200 Checklist: More Than Three Dozen Ways To Buy San Francisco, CA 941 11 Environmentally Sound Paper When Prices Are High ................................................................. 25 (415) 433-1000 There are dozens of ways to afford environmentally sound paper even when prices are high, from source reduction to changing specificationsmid taking advantage of the market. Q 1997 Commatree Buy Recycled Programs ................................................................................................................. Reprints only by express Buy Recycled programs range from