NZ maintains world class paperboard recycling rate

15th September 2008

NEWS RELEASE

New Zealand maintains world class paperboard recycling rate

Latest statistics released today by the paper packaging sector show that New Zealand has continued to improve its paperboard recovery rate with an impressive 78% of all paperboard consumed now being collected for recycling into new products. Jack Hayward, President of the New Zealand Paperboard Packaging Association said that a combination of factors help to deliver this continual improvement:-

“We’re now seeing the benefits of better kerbside collection systems, better practices by industry with regard to recycling and much greater public awareness about how and what to recycle. In addition there has been a surge in demand for recovered paper and paperboard particularly from the Asian markets and this is driving up export prices. China is producing large volumes of paper packaging to ship its products to the world which is all good news for recycling markets.”

“Once again we have delivered a new record which is a credit to the combined efforts of NZPPA member companies, the people who recycle, local authorities and recycling operators. This far exceeds the 70% target set for paperboard recovery under the NZ Packaging Accord.”

New Zealand’s recovery rate is well ahead of Europe at 63.4% and the USA and Australia which are both at 55%. Recovered paperboard is used to make new packaging which in turn supports our export markets. Most meat, dairy, fruit and manufacturer goods are contained, protected and presented in paperboard packaging. New Zealand’s paper mills also have a lower carbon footprint than in many other countries because they use geothermal energy and electricity from renewable resources such as hydro, geothermal and wind.

The market for recovered paper looks set to continue according to a recent report which finds that from now until 2012 the world’s paper mills will require as much new recovered paper as all of the paper currently recovered in the United States.

The statistics were prepared by independent consultancy Infometrics Ltd which has refined the methodology for calculating packaging production and consumption data. This refinement has lead to a recalculation for production and export tonnages for 2006 but not to any change in the 76% recovery figure previously advised.

ENDS

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