Content Requirements
Recycled content requirements were designed to create a market for the materials were being collected in recycling programs. The paper industry is the great success story of these programs. Today, 100 percent of all paper being collected for recycling is being used to make new paper and paperboard products (96 percent) and in applications such as insulation, animal bedding and composting.
Recycled material is of great importance to the paper industry. Significant success has been achieved and the industry currently recovers almost 50 percent of paper produced.
In the late 80's and early 90's, higher recycled content guidelines were implemented by the government for certain types of paper products, specifically printing/writing papers. As a net total, no more recovered paper is being used by the paper industry by increasing recycled content to printing/writing papers - recovered paper is simply being diverted. Raising the recycled content of copy paper diverts the amount of recovered material to a less cost-effective use.
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About AF&PA
