Virgin vs. Recycled Mills, Both Key Players in Sustainability

Hank asks:

I am working on a zoning application for a client and was hoping you may be able to provide some information that could be helpful for AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) approval.

 Do you have any documentation concerning the differences between a virgin (wood products) paper mill vs a paper mill using only recycled paper/corrugated as the base product?

Any data or documentation you have available to share would be greatly appreciated.

Those are some very open-ended questions you have there.

Both virgin and recycled mills play key roles in the sustainability of our industry and products.

There have been no new virgin/raw wood paper mills built in the US since 1995. All new sites have been constructed for the reuse, or recycling of old corrugated containers (OCC), mixed office waste (MOW), or double-lined kraft (DLK) as their base material.

These mills do not require the land mass necessary for virgin mills. There is no need for log or chip storage area, storage of baled materials is more efficient and requires much less square footage. There is also no requirement for recovery operations or settling ponds for water treatment facilities. Odor suppression is not an issue with recycling mills as it is with virgin mills. These are a few reasons you will find recovered paper mills in urban areas like Kingsport, TN, Green Bay, WI, Niagara Falls, NY, Staten Island, NY, Atlanta, GA Shreveport, LA, and Toronto, ON, Canada. They further represent paper’s sustainability story.

There are approximately 115 virgin kraft mills still in operation, but since 1995 over 30 modern recovered fibre mills have been built or converted from virgin mills.

Packaging demands now call for recycled containerboard as the primary option.  I would expect some of the older virgin mills will close or be converted as the industry goes through additional integration and consolidation.

There is a need for both virgin and recycled mills. Virgin mills can be more than 60 years old and still be very viable and cost-effective. Virgin and recycled linerboard usually does not compete in the packaging market. Recycled sheets are typically lighter and less robust than virgin fibre sheets. So recycled products are not favorable for all applications. Especially those where strength and durability are major concerns.

There are currently over 200 recycled mills operating in the US and that number will continue to grow with the increasing consumer demand for stainable, environmentally friendly packing solutions and products.

If you need additional information, Fisher International Whitepapers and Board Converting News would be a couple of good resources for your research. Fisher is a subscription service but offers some free resources. Board Converting News has a search engine that may be helpful as well.

— Ralph