The International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA) has said that extended producer responsibility should not replace existing paper recycling markets.
It said this as part of a new policy statement on paper recycling that was issued last week.
The policy statement said that extended producer responsibility systems “should not be a preferred choice where existing markets for collections and reuse of recovered paper are efficient and effective”.
In its policy statement, ICFPA also calls for citizens to be educated on the importance of recycling, for the marketplace to determine recovered fibre’s best end-use, and ensuring functioning waste markets while respecting national contexts and systems.
ICFPA president Donna Harman said: “Forest and paper associations around the world recognise the importance of paper recovered for recycling. With this policy statement, we are encouraging national government to pursue best practices to enable recovered fibre to find its highest end-use.”
The global recycling rate for paper is currently 58%, according to ICFPA, but some developing countries are achieving recycling rates up to 70%, and many developing countries are establishing infrastructure to help improve paper recycling rates.
