Sustainability in the Industry
Paper and Cardboard
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Impacts, Risks and Opportunities
Sustainability in Paper and Cardboard
Notes, newspapers, toilet paper, packaging: the production of pulp products uses a lot of energy, water and wood. Climate protection and resource efficiency are therefore playing an increasingly important role for manufacturers. While around 8,200 kilowatt hours of electricity were used to produce one ton of paper in 1955, today it is only 2,600. Water consumption has also fallen from around 50 liters per kilogram to less than nine liters. Over 70 percent of the paper used in Germany is now recycled.
The majority of all cardboard boxes are made from recycled paper; the rest requires virgin wood fibers. It is crucial here that the wood comes from sustainably managed and certified sources. The industry’s key sustainability efforts therefore focus on circular management in order to increase the proportion of reused fibers compared to that of virgin fibers and to develop high-quality recycled paper types. Dissolving contaminants in the recycling process, e.g. mineral oil components in newspaper printing inks, is also one of the challenges facing the industry.
New paper products or printing processes whose impact on recycling cycles have not been tested pose a problem. Products from the industry are often a central part of the offerings of other industries. While demand from sales markets such as the newspaper industry has declined over the last five years, demand from mail order has continued to rise. In addition, paper-based packaging has an environmentally friendly image from the consumer’s perspective, as it is recycled in significantly higher proportions than, for example, plastic packaging. However, the critical discussion about the increasing amount of waste from pizza boxes or online packages and the littering of cities does not go unnoticed by the industry. Every single-use packaging – even made from recycled cardboard – requires energy and water in production and is less ecological than reusable packaging. Resource-saving, climate-neutral production and sustainable product design are therefore crucial driving forces for greater sustainability.
The industry includes, for example, the production of pulp, paper, cardboard and cardboard as well as related goods.
Industry Materiality
Key Fields in the Industry
Resources
Nature
Climate
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EU NACE Classification
Industry NACE Classes
Included NACE classes in the industry
17.11.0 – Production of wood and pulp
17.21 – Manufacture of corrugated paper and cardboard as well as packaging materials made from paper, cardboard and cardboard
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