PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY ORGANISATION Is your brand going to the dump? Take responsibility for your product's end-of-life. Paper producers pay voluntary extended producer responsibility fees. Be part of the solution. Join Fibre Circle. www.fibrecircle.co.za • PAPER • BOXES • BAGS • BEVERAGE CARTONS • LABELS • PAPER CUPS • CARTONS • SACK KRAFT •
PAPER Packaging has power and requires collaborative responsibility Paper is one of the oldest technologies in the world, and the way it’s sourced and made has come a long way. Still, many companies worry about paper, about printing on it or using it for packaging. These worries emanate from deeply rooted myths that paper is bad for the environment. However, paper is one of the most sustainable materials, says Francois Marais, manager of Fibre Circle, the paper sector’s producer responsibility organisation (PRO), which manages extended producer responsibility (EPR) programmes on behalf of the sector. “Forestry companies, as well as the downstream value chain of wood and paper-based products, subscribe to certification organisations to ensure that the paper is sourced and produced in a responsible and balanced manner, and that its end-of-life is appropriately managed,” he adds. EPR, a relatively new concept, describes the lifecycle of products and packaging manufactured, sold and distributed by producers, importers, brand-owners and retailers, collectively referred to as “obliged industries”. The idea is the brainchild of Thomas Lindhqvist of Sweden’s Lund University, whose 1990 research sought to determine how recycling and waste management were driving cleaner production policies. According to Lindhqvist, EPR makes the manufacturer of the product responsible for the entire lifecycle of the product and especially for its take-back, recycling and final disposal. EPR dictates that the costs of collection, processing and recycling are placed on the obliged industries, with one of the objectives being to encourage them to design products for better recovery and recycling. Making the circle bigger Fibre Circle aims to bring together players in the paper and packaging value chain, including obliged industries and brand owners and retailers. To this end, Fibre Circle has mapped out key groups of products and has been engaging producers and importers of: • Printing and writing grades • Paper packaging and packaging paper for conversion • Paper sacks or sack kraft • Liquid board packaging for beverage and food cartons, including paper cups • Labels and release liner/backing paper The ultimate renewable While many paper products are classified as single-use, most are recoverable for recycling, and all are renewable. South Africa boasts a recovery rate of around 70% of recoverable paper products, which excludes tissue, sanitary products and items like books. More than 53% of locally-made paper products contain recycled content. Recyclability requires value Cardboard and cartons make up the largest proportion of recovered paper because they are easy to collect and recycle. Office paper, a high-value commodity due to virgin fibre content, can be difficult to collect if offices and homes don’t separate at source, while label backing paper or release liners are difficult to recycle due to the siliconised laminate but relatively easy to collect due to large, pre-consumer volumes at factories. Paper cups and beverage cartons are recyclable, but not easy to recover. “When a recyclable is difficult to collect, its value to a waste collector is low,” says Marais. “One paper cup isn’t worth the effort for a collector; one tonne of paper cups from one location every week is a different story.” Fill your cup with Fibre Circle To address this, Fibre Circle has been working on a prototype coffee cup collection bin. Resembling a giant takeaway coffee cup, it comprises three compartments – for liquids, high-density polystyrene lids, and cups, and is ideal for office buildings and high-traffic areas. Fibre Circle aims to roll out more of these initiatives as its membership grows. “The sector needs practical solutions that prevent usable paper fibre from going to landfill while ensuring it’s turned into value,” says Marais. Beyond compliance, fostering stewardship In response to the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries’ call for an EPR framework in line with Section 18 of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act 59 of 2008, industry bodies representing the paper, paper packaging and other waste streams had been consulting with Government before the Covid-19 lockdown. “All indications are that EPR will become mandatory in the near future,” says Marais. “By paying their dues, paper manufacturers, importers and brand owners can extend responsibility beyond their own gates and their customers’ hands, diverting material from landfill, training more people and creating more jobs – something that our country desperately needs,” Marais concludes. greeneconomy.media 27
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