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Minutes - Corrugated Packaging Council

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APPENDIX C<br />

5/11/2011<br />

U.S. <strong>Corrugated</strong> Industry Position on Extended Producer<br />

Responsibility (EPR)<br />

Background on EPR:<br />

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is the extension of the responsibility of producers for<br />

the environmental impacts of their products and packaging to the entire life cycle – and<br />

especially for their take-back, recycling, and disposal.<br />

There are several EPR programs in use in Europe and heightened awareness of environmental<br />

issues has led to EPR initiatives in North America with some Canadian provinces leading the<br />

way.<br />

In the U.S., the corrugated industry has historically supported the recovery of its products for<br />

use in our mill system and has encouraged efforts to establish a strong infrastructure for the<br />

recovery and re-use of our products.<br />

Our Position:<br />

Given the paper industry’s demonstrated commitment to support and build recovery initiatives<br />

for our products, paper-based packaging in general and corrugated products specifically,<br />

should not be asked to subsidize the collection and establishment of markets for other<br />

packaging materials. They have been categorized as widely recycled due to their<br />

infrastructure and financial incentives having been in place for many years. The burden<br />

and cost of collection systems should be placed on packaging materials that have been<br />

identified as having limited recycling or those that are not yet recycled.<br />

<strong>Packaging</strong><br />

Category<br />

Recovery Rates<br />

2009<br />

Percent change in<br />

discarded tonnage 1990-<br />

2009<br />

<strong>Corrugated</strong> 81.3% -59%<br />

Paper-Based <strong>Packaging</strong> 71.8% -52%<br />

Aluminum 50.7% +29%<br />

Glass 39.0% -28%<br />

Plastics 13.7% +62%<br />

Source: EPA 2009 Municipal Solid Waste Characterization Study<br />

• We believe that corrugated packaging and products should be exempt from Extended<br />

Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation.<br />

• <strong>Corrugated</strong> recovery is an environmental success story.<br />

• We believe that corrugated fits The Federal Trade Commission’s Guides for the Use of<br />

Environmental Marketing Claims.<br />

• Most OCC is used to make new paper products.<br />

• Demand for OCC has expanded globally ensuring a viable market for U.S. recovered<br />

fiber.

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