The European paper industry is building on decades of work done to make its industrial model sustainable and circular, making it one of the most sustainable industries in Europe. It relies on raw materials, pulp derived from processing wood, which is intrinsically sustainable as it comes from sustainably managed forests; it has achieved a 31% decarbonisation from 2005 to date and it has become and anchor industry for industrial symbiosis, sharing materials, energy heat and water. One of our initiatives under sustainability is 4evergreen.

4evergreen is a cross-industry alliance of over 100 members representing the entire lifecycle of fibre-based packaging – from forests to designers, producers, brand owners and recyclers. Together they share expertise to develop tools and guidelines for an even more sustainable sector. The goal is to reach a 90% recycling rate for fibre-based packaging by 2030.

Paper is recycled at a rate of 79.3% (2023 data) in Europe, which is the highest recycling rate for paper in the world. Paper based packaging is even recycled at 82%. More paper based packaging is recycled than all other packaging materials combined. The paper industry thrives to further increase recycling and material use of recycling residues through the sharing of best practises and the development of cross-sectorial alliances.

The Sustainability Platform is a one stop shop on how sustainability is achieved by our members and what is our strategy for the future.