Buyers of paper need to examine recycled paper options to understand whether they have the right trade-off of cost to CSR qualities.
Interviews with Procurement Leaders’ category expert network have showed that switching to recycled paper initially seems an obvious choice for buyers for its environmental benefits. However, bleached and coated virgin paper is still the first choice for buyers due to cost and marketing reasons.
Procurement Leaders’ category research for the upcoming report looking at the printing industry has highlighted the trend for the continued high demand for virgin paper over recycled paper. Approximately 1 million tonnes of paper is currently used around the world on a daily basis and the environmental impact of this can be considerable.
Our research found that recycled paper is currently more expensive to buy than new virgin paper and buyers believe it to be of lower quality. The process of making recycled paper degrades the paper over time and the outcome can result in a reduction of quality. Marketing products tend then to be printed on virgin paper despite the environmental advantages of recycled paper.
Producing recycled paper uses on average 30–70% less energy than producing virgin paper and considerably cuts down the amount of paper waste that goes to landfill.
To meet CSR requirements, many companies are tending to buy certified virgin paper that uses certification standards to ensure their supply chain is sustainable and is not detrimental to the environment and local communities alike.
However, ultimately buying paper that consists of more or entirely recycled fibres is key to sustaining the high demand for paper in the long run.
Rhiannon Evans is a research analyst for Procurement Leaders.
