Recycling

Recovered paper is an important fibre source for Norske Skog. Recycled fibre made up 30% of the raw materials used in our products. 

Some customers want paper based entirely on recovered paper. However, a value chain based only on recovered paper is not sustainable. About one third of the paper is lost in the recovered paper cycle. Factors such as consumer awareness, waste disposal and collection systems and alternative uses for used paper influence its collection rate. The structure and strength of the fibres of paper degrade with successive use. Recovered paper fibres that are no longer suitable for paper making are rejected in our mill pulping processes and are generally used as a source of renewable energy.

To make the recovered paper value chain sustainable, fresh fibre from forests, plantations or sawmill by-products must be added.

On a tonnage basis, our largest consumption of recovered paper takes place in continental Europe. The fibre source used at the different Norske Skog mills depends upon availability and economic considerations. The minimization of transport distances and costs is an increasingly important economic and environmental consideration.