Marketplace Sustainability

The paper recycling rate has met or exceeded 63% every year since 2009. Paper recycling is a model that works because of the industry’s investment and the millions of people who recycle every day. Read what we’re doing to continue to improve paper recycling.

While you’re sipping your latte, you may wonder are paper cups recyclable? Yes, paper cups are recyclable! There are currently more than 30 mills across North America recycling paper cups. The fiber from those cups is then used to make tissue, paper and paper packaging.  

The Paperboard Packaging Alliance (PPA) announced the winners of the 2021 Student Design Challenge, an annual competition that fosters awareness and appreciation of paperboard packaging with the next generation of packaging design decision-makers. Design teams from across the country created…

One of the questions we commonly receive is how do I recycle a paper padded mailer. The answer depends on what type of mailer you received. We help explain what to do for the three most common mailers.

AF&PA released new industry guidance giving consumers confidence on the recyclability of paper padded mailers. Paper padded mailers are widely recycled at paper mills across the country.

In 2020, AF&PA members procured 99.2% of the total wood fiber from forests, used for product, through a certified fiber sourcing program; and 27.1% of wood fiber was sourced from third-party certified forestlands. This represents a 12.2 and 4.1 percentage point increase, respectively, from the…

The vast majority of Americans have access to a community paper recycling program. Items like pizza boxes, cardboard boxes and paper bags are widely collected for recycling in the United States.

The findings presented in the 2021 AF&PA Access to Recycling Study show us that community recycling programs for paper and paper-based packaging are well-developed and widely accessible. This is good news when so many individuals are looking to make a difference on…

The 2021 AF&PA Access to Recycling Study found many items which are widely accepted. 60% or more of consumers have access to community recycling programs that accept these materials.

The 2021 AF&PA Access to Recycling Study found 82% of the U.S. population has access to a community recycling program that accepts pizza boxes.  

The 2021 AF&PA Access to Recycling Study found 94% of Americans have access to a community paper recycling program.  

The 2021 AF&PA Access to Recycling Study found 79% of Americans have access to residential-curbside recycling programs- an increase of more than 14 million people since our 2014 study.