Paper packaging trend: How well does recycling work?

At over 80 per cent, Germany has the highest paper recycling rate in Europe. (Credit: photgraphee.eu/shutterstock)

19. April 2022

The trend towards paper is unbroken. As a substitute for plastic, the material is supposed to be more sustainable and protect the environment. But what does more and more paper packaging mean for the recycling of the fibres? Because even these packaging materials cannot do without plastic coatings, varnishes and adhesives. We asked Dr.-Ing. Tiemo Arndt, scientific director of the Papiertechnische Stiftung PTS, about this.

Mr. Arndt, according to the Federal Environment Agency, the paper industry used around 79 percent recovered paper in 2020. It is thus one of the most important raw materials for the industry. To ensure that this is also available in large quantities throughout Europe, the EU's 4evergreen initiative is planning an overall recycling rate for fibre-containing packaging of over 90 per cent by 2030. So, things are going well with paper recycling, aren't they?

A lot of paper is actually recycled in Germany. The recycling rate is over 80 per cent, the highest in Europe. But as the paper trend increases, so does the amount of paper packaging, which is difficult to recycle. At the same time, however, the industry's interest in recovering as many fibres as possible is increasing. The paper industry is therefore investing more and more in reprocessing.

Does this make paper packaging more sustainable than plastic packaging?

As is so often the case, you always have to look at the individual case. To claim in general that paper is always better than plastic is certainly wrong. But the fact is that paper producers use environmentally friendly raw materials from certified sources. The paper cycle is almost closed. On the other hand, there is also a need to catch up. For example, packaging developers and packaging manufacturers would have to take more responsibility for disposal. Consumers are often confused because some packaging feels like paper, but it is not exclusively paper. Flexible paper packaging for food is often made of composite materials. A good guideline is still lacking here. Basically, we cannot talk about paper packaging, because there are many different types of packaging that are mainly made of paper.

"A lot of paper is actually recycled in Germany. The recycling rate is over 80 per cent, the highest in Europe. But as the paper trend increases, so does the amount of paper packaging, which is difficult to recycle."

Dr.-Ing. Tiemo Arndt, Scientific Director of the Paper Technology Foundation PTS

How should consumers properly dispose of such packaging so that it can be recycled?

All paper composite packaging - if any - should be separated wherever possible. You can, for example, separate out the plastic windows or peel off the inner films. And everything that cannot be separated belongs in the yellow bag or the yellow bin.

In 2020, PTS had conducted a study on the recyclability of food and non-food packaging made of paper on behalf of the Folding Carton Industry Association FFI. The study examined how printing inks, varnishes, adhesives, PE and PET coatings affect recycling. As a result, all the paper packaging examined was confirmed to have good recyclability. Are plants well equipped to recycle paper packaging?

The recycling process is also about the question of how to clean with the established standard processes. There is always a reject component. But the paper mills can deal with this if the proportion is not too high. Normally, the cleaning processes manage to separate film components well. Uncertainties tend to arise when it comes to water-soluble barrier coatings, for example.

In the study, you also examined coffee-to-go cups for their recyclability.

The study concludes that coffee cups are also recyclable. Cup material coated on one side can even be recycled in standard plants, while cups coated on both sides showed poorer dissolution of the fibre content. However, cups are usually not collected in the separate household collection and thus are not recycled in standard plants. However, there are already companies that have installed appropriate systems to process coffee-to-go cups. But to make such investments worthwhile, we need collection and sorting systems, especially for products that cannot be processed in standard plants.

Grass paper has been very popular for some years now. Can it be easily recycled in the paper stream?

Grass paper is very popular right now also for packaging production. We see a highly dynamic market here with many developments and a lot of creativity on the part of the manufacturers. The raw material fibre is the same and therefore unproblematic in paper recycling. However, the volume of grass paper is still very low.

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