Briefings

BS EN 643:2002 - The European List of Standard Grades of Recovered Paper and Board

CEN has issued an updated version of the European Standard for Recovered Paper Grades, EN 643, which has been adopted by the British Standards Institute as BS EN 643. The practical implication for ESA's Members is that paper not collected separately from all other materials, or separated from other materials at a MRF may not be acceptable for use by the recovered paper industry.

Background
The European Centre for Standardisation (CEN) has adopted a new version of European Standard EN 643 - The European List of Standard Grades of Recovered Paper and Board. In February 2002, the British Standards Institute adopted the standard as BS EN 643. The standard is voluntary and has no legal status.

EN 643 has been drafted to secure the quality of recovered paper supplied to paper mills, to improve the traceability of the paper industry's raw materials, and to facilitate the achievement of the 2005 paper recycling target of 56% as set out in the European Declaration on Paper Recovery. The European recovered paper industry is aiming to increase recycling by 25% between 1999 and 2005, equivalent to recycling an additional 10 million tonnes or more of recovered paper. The Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) and the European Recovered Paper Association (ERPA) have recommended that the standard is used at all national levels.

Implications for ESA's Members
As a standard, BS EN 643 is voluntary and has no legal status although it may be quoted in law as defining a method of compliance. In addition, it is likely that it will be negotiated into contracts collection agents and reprocessors. In this respect the European Commission is proposing to use the Standard as a basis for defining acceptable materials for use in manufacturing food packaging products.

The three trade associations representing the recovered paper industry in the UK have adopted BS EN 643 and have produced a guide for operators involved in paper recovery and recycling. The main implication for ESA's Members has its origins in the following statement contained in the standard, which states that:
"Recovered paper from refuse sorting stations is not suitable for use in the paper industry."

This stems partly from the hygiene requirements of customers, whose perception is that paper from commingled collection schemes may be contaminated with food residues from other materials such as glass and cans.

While the three associations recognise that some arrangements currently in place cannot be changed overnight, they have identified the areas where they perceive change is needed. For example, kerbside collection of mixed papers is cited as an example of an unacceptable practice which should be phased out along with the kerbside collection of paper mixed with other dry recyclables. The table below, produced by the three associations summarises the methods of collection for different types of paper acceptable to the recovered paper sector in the UK.

The standard only outlines different classifications of paper and does not say anything about contamination, but it will enable the customer to see which materials have been used in the product they are buying. Therefore, it could mean that paper merchants won't take material from dirty MRFs or other sorting facilities if the end product will be used for food packaging. Although for some mills, where paper is not recycled for food packaging, the standards will not make any difference.

What will the recovered paper sector accept?
Papers for recycling are generally collected in four main groups:

1. Newspapers, magazines, and directories (white paper);
2. Printed and unprinted papers, photocopy and computer paper, general paper from "junk" mail;
3. White and brown cartons, tubes, bags, boxes and corrugated boxes; and
4. Beverage cartons.

The recovered paper industry will take papers which are:

• Separated at source into the four groups above;
• Mixed together but kept separate from all other materials at all points in the collection system for an agreed period unless a kerbside or bank system is clearly marked as being for solely for papers, when it will have been agreed as going to a packaging mill;
• Mixed together with recyclable material, but kept separate from all other materials at all points in the collection system for an agreed period where the potential contamination from food is known not to be of concern to the end using mill as products will not involve food products.

The recovered paper industry will not take material from:

• Mixed paper and glass collections;
• Directories with fully dyed colour pages;
• Beverage containers unless completely separate from all other materials;
• Paper in bags, but included in the general "dirty" collecting system;
• Unseparated paper included in the general "dirty" collecting system.

Quality Needs in Recovered Papers Grid

February 2003