Plea in favour of recycled paper

10.01.2023 - Steinbeis Papier is doing a lot of convincing with its products - rethinking in terms of increased sustainability. One serious argument is the savings that can be made by using recycled paper compared to paper made from virgin fibres. The new life cycle assessment study by the Federal Environment Agency impressively confirms how much can actually be saved in terms of water, energy and_{CO2 equ.} in relation to recycled paper.

Savings of 78 percent water, 68 percent energy and 15 percent_{CO2 equ.} emissions - with an updated life cycle assessment for graphic paper, the Federal Environment Agency has once again come to the conclusion that recycled paper performs better than any virgin fibre paper in terms of clearly defined parameters.

Basis of the assessment

For the life cycle assessment, one tonne of office paper was defined as the basis for further measurements. This includes upstream chains, production through to the time of delivery ex works. There are different production processes for the two paper variants. For virgin fibre paper, the chain begins with deforestation, leads to pulp production and ends with paper production. In the case of recycled paper, the process starts with waste paper collection and sorting, passes through waste paper recycling and also ends with paper production. Various indicators were defined in the study of ecological compatibility in the production of the two types of paper: Climate change, acidification, terrestrial eutrophication, aquatic eutrophication, fresh water demand, adsorbable organically bound halogens, energy demand (non-renewable, renewable, without raw material energy, total), formation of photo-oxidation, particulate matter and ozone depletion.

Circular economy has a clear advantage

The decisive factor is the environmental impact of the production process, including the upstream chains through to provision at the exit of the mill (cradle-to-gate). And these are particularly efficient in practice at Steinbeis Papier's Glückstadt plant: recycled paper is subject to the principle of the circular economy from procurement through production to utilisation and replacement. Furthermore, the small amount of wastewater that is produced despite the largely closed water cycle is treated in the mill's own fully biological wastewater treatment plant. Thanks to state-of-the-art fluidised bed technology and combined heat and power generation, the Steinbeis power plant covers 100 per cent of the thermal and 50 per cent of the electrical energy consumption.

New ecological aspects

In a new life cycle assessment, the Federal Environment Agency comes to the conclusion that graphic paper made from recycled fibres is produced under much more environmentally friendly conditions than paper made from new wood fibres. The new study also includes other qualitative aspects such as biodiversity, land use change and carbon storage in forests. The following applies to recycled paper from Steinbeis Papier: not a single new tree is felled, as 100 per cent waste paper is used for production. This means that users of recycled paper are contributing to a reduction in negative land use conditions and ultimately to climate protection with their decision in favour of biodiversity.

Steinbeis Papier as a pioneer

And Steinbeis Papier achieves potential savings that even exceed the German Environment Agency's life cycle assessment values: By switching to ReThinkingPaper, customers save 100 per cent wood, 73 per cent energy, 79 per cent water and 42 per cent CO₂ equ. emissions compared to conventional paper. Steinbeis Papier's products therefore send a clear message in favour of a consistent rethink on the subject of resource conservation. "With one of the most modern paper mills in Europe, we ensure that high-quality products are manufactured under particularly energy-efficient, low-emission and resource-conserving conditions. The new life cycle assessment confirms our commitment with valid data and shows that we at Steinbeis Papier are taking a consistent approach to greater climate, environmental and resource protection," says Ulrich Feuersinger, Managing Director at Steinbeis Papier.