Billerud’s European packaging material portfolio is the first to be third-party assessed as 100% recyclable, according to EU legislation proposed for 2030. This reinforces Billerud as a world leader in sustainable packaging.
No.1 for recyclability
The standards proposed by the coming Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) are high, but Billerud has been meeting high standards for many years. This is why we reached the goal seven years in advance and are the first in the world to do so.
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The criteria used in the PTS assessment of recyclability are:
Repulpability
Undisturbed sheet formation
Deinkability
Third-party PTS testing
To ensure our papers already meet the proposed recycling requirements of 2030, Billerud used a third-party assessor: PTS (Papiertechnishce Stiftung). For decades, this German institution has gained a reputation for its meticulous method of testing*.
*The prevalent testing method as of autumn 2023.
The EU legislation proposed for 2030
According to the proposed Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), from 2030, all packaging used in the European market must be reusable, recyclable or compostable. The PPWR is part of the comprehensive European Green Deal of 2019, which aims to make the EU the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050.
A broad perspective on sustainability
Billerud not only works hard with recyclability. We also take pride in our wider role as a pioneer of sustainability. We constantly try to reduce our environmental impact. One of many improvements is the diminishing use of fossil fuels in our worldwide operations.
Billerud’s European production is already 97% fossil free. Our goal now is to make production completely fossil free. The removal of fossil fuels severely reduces the environmental impact of paper production and aligns with the global push towards using renewable energy sources. One of the key elements for a fossil-free production is a stable and efficient production. This demands putting safety first.
All paper production uses a lot of energy. Most of this energy is generated in the pulp process, where a lot of waste heat is released. We mainly use this excess heat in our production, but it also provides local communities with heating. This use of waste heat in our own production has reduced our carbon footprint and saved energy. In our European operations, we generate up to 40% of our electricity internally. All electricity, produced in-house or purchased, is covered by fossil-free energy certificates. We work continuously to increase the overall energy efficiency of our facilities and to find new ways to further increase the amount of energy produced from sustainable, fossil-free sources.
Using the railway, recovering chemicals
In 2022, 70% of the outgoing land transports from our European mills travelled by rail. Together with carriers, we are pushing for the transition to a fossil-free fleet. We will continue to actively choose the mode of transport and monitor developments in technology and fuel, railway expansion and the electrification of roads.
The chemicals used to release the fibers from the wood are recovered and reused in a cyclical process. Wood residues after fiber extension are used for energy.
The PTS method
The recyclability analysis is carried out in accordance with the PTS method PTS-RH 021:2012 (Draft Oct 2019). This method is also called, ”Identification of the recyclability of paper and board packages and of graphic print products”.
Some facts about the criteria:
Disintegratability
This refers to the mass percentage of the constituents not usable in papermaking. This is based on the removed-dry non-paper constituents and reject of nondefibrated fiber constituents after 0.7-mm hole-plate fractionation. This criterion and the related yield in recyclable fiber is evaluated on the following basis: