Industry Publishes Updated Voluntary Standard for Recycling Cardboard
Identifies Coatings and Treatments that can be Repulped and Recycled
CONTACT: Lindsay Murphy, AF&PA
(202) 494-6580, comm@afandpa.org
Rachel Kenyon, FBA
(847) 364-9637, rkenyon@fibrebox.org
WASHINGTON – The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) and Fibre Box Association (FBA) today announced an update to their “Voluntary Standard For Repulping and Recycling Coated or Treated Corrugated Fiberboard and its Equivalents in the Old Corrugated Containers (OCC) Recycling Stream.” The Voluntary Standard provides an industry-supported set of test protocols that evaluate whether products such as coated or treated cardboard packaging are repulpable and recyclable.
“Our industry is committed to continuous improvement and capturing as much paper-based material from the waste stream as possible,” said Vice President, Industry Affairs, Terry Webber.
“This Voluntary Standard will help our industry develop innovative coatings and treatments for cardboard packaging to meet customer needs, while also ensuring they can be validated as repulpable and recyclable.”
A joint committee of AF&PA and FBA members developed the update to the Voluntary Standard. It is aligned with current mill technology and manufacturing practices. Coated or treated cardboard packaging is a practical and cost-effective way to ship products like produce, meat or seafood. The Voluntary Standard aims to help the industry evaluate their coatings and treatments to ensure their packaging can be repulped and recycled using common mill technology.
“The repulpability and recyclability test procedures in the revised Voluntary Standard deliver results that are valid, reliable and repeatable,” said President and CEO of the Fibre Box Association, Bob McIlvaine. “This Voluntary Standard ensures our industry can repulp that packaging and turn it into other products.”
This publication updates joint AF&PA-FBA “Voluntary Standard for Repulping and Recycling Corrugated Fiberboard Treated to Improve its Performance in the Presence of Water and Water Vapor,” published in 2013.
The Voluntary Standard is available for free download.