Europe’s Paper Recycling Rate Hit 72.3% in 2017: CEPI

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The annual report published by the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) has revealed that Europe’s paper recycling rate hit the highest-ever level of 72.3% during the past year. This is despite the introduction of tougher restrictions on waste imports by the Chinese administration. The report is based on data collected from the 18 National Associations who are members of CEPI as well as from additional sources including Eurostat.

According to CEPI initial estimates, the world paper and board production increased marginally by 1.5% over the previous year to approximately 420 million tonnes in 2017. The Chinese production witnessed boost of 4.7%, as compared with 2.9% during the prior year. Brazil and Russia were the other two countries to report strong growth. The Japanese production witnessed moderate grow2th, whereas the U.S. production remained stable. Production declines were reported in Canada, South Korea and India, CEPI noted.

The closures were more than balanced by new capacities and upgrades to existing facilities in 2017. The paper and board consumption recorded fourth consecutive year of growth, registering 0.5% jump in 2017. Likewise, the industry reported 1.4% jump in the utilization of paper for recycling.

The total number of companies operating in the European Pulp and Paper Sector declined marginally from 677 in 2016 to 675 in 2017. The number of mills too dropped from 903 to 891 over the year. Out of this, pulp mills totaled 154, whereas Paper & Board mills totaled 737. The number of paper machines totaled 1,250 in 2017. The industry offered employment to 176,760 people. The sector investment totaled 5,500 Million Euros in 2017, as compared with 5,114 Million Euros in 2016.