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papers has remained unchanged,” Jones
explained.
Steve Lister, Business Development
Director at Robert Horne Group, says the
perceived benefits of recycled paper are
such that businesses will specify them
regardless of broader arguments.
“The key benefits attributed to
recycled paper are that it uses less
resources – trees, water, energy – and
critically reduces waste to landfill. In both
the public and private sectors, purchasing
criteria are set so that organisations
can meet their environmental and
corporate social responsibility goals. And
so specifying and using recycled paper
at work has become second nature for
many of us,” he said.
High grade
To meet this demand there is now a wide
choice of recycled papers that will satisfy
all tastes and preferences, including a
liking for high white grades that require
the best quality office waste.
“Consumption of recycled graphic
paper in Europe is growing and there is
now a wider range of papers available,
including everyday office paper, digital,
offset, pre-print, creative and coated silk
and gloss papers,” explained Matthew
Botfield, Environment Manager at Antalis
McNaughton.
“Some countries like Germany prefer
recycled papers to look less white,
whereas in the UK we prefer recycled
papers to be bright white. Generally,
the quality of the recycled paper relies
on the quality of the recovered waste
paper and the de-inking technology used
by the paper mill. If the mix of waste
papers consists of newsprint, magazine
and graphic papers, the mix produces a
grey shade pulp compared to pulp made
from sorted office papers, which is much
whiter,” he said.
Lister, too, cites advances in paper
making technology as a significant factor
in the use of recycled paper, pointing out
that they enable companies to make an
environmental statement without having
to compromise on performance.
“We have seen a marked
improvement in the quality of the
finished product. There is a huge
difference between the dull, grey
offerings of old and the brilliant white,
heavyweight, smooth finish and ‘hard-to-
tell-the-difference’ recycled papers that
are readily available today,” he said.
“Today’s recycled papers are equal
in appearance, performance and
reliability to virgin stocks: there really
is no difference and organisations no
longer need to compromise on look
and feel in order to tick the green box.
However, the economic climate is driving
purchasing behaviour and cost is key.
Traditionally, recycled paper products
carried a premium price tag but we are
seeing a shift here and the premium is
not as great as is commonly perceived.
For example, if you compared the
price of a 70gsm recycled paper with a
standard 80gsm non-recycled ream, the
differential would be insignificant.”
Filling the gap
Recently, there have been a number
of high profile closures of mills where
recycled paper is made including
Inveresk, Hermes, Alizay, Vertaris
and Sappi Nash. This has created
opportunities for other manufacturers,
for example Lenzing, to enter the market
with brands such as Evolution from
Premier Paper, whilst also making it
worthwhile for existing players to expand
their ranges.
“The wave of mill closures has
undoubtedly affected the availability
of recycled papers and, as a merchant,
we’ve responded to that,” Lister
explained. “Robert Horne Group’s Revive
brand, the best known recycled paper
within the commercial print market, is
now available as an office paper range:
100% recycled Revive is available in
three grades, natural, everyday and
business, and in weights from 70gsm.We
recognise the need for heavier weights
in recycled grades and Revive business is
also available in 80, 90 and 100gsm.”
Whatever the rights and wrongs of
using recycled fibre to make high quality
office grades, the pressure on businesses
to select recycled office papers as part
of a sustainable procurement or carbon
reduction strategy means that demand
for such products is likely to remain
strong.
www.paper.co.uk
www.upm.com
www.roberthorne.co.uk
www.antalis.co.uk
continued...
Matthew Botfield,
Environment Manager
at Antalis McNaughton
The wave of mill
closures has
undoubtedly
affected the
availability
of recycled
papers...
“
Making the Grade