The export of recovered paper to foreign markets will become increasingly important as the UK economy recovers and paper consumption rises, according to paper recycling firm Highlander Recycling.
Speaking at the East Kilbride-based companys open day in Belfast last week (April 7), the company indicated that slowing levels of domestic paper production and the potential for growth in consumption could create an imbalance in the market.
Stephen Duffy, purchasing director at Highlander Recycling, offered a detailed breakdown of paper consumption and recycling trends over the past decade and identified the role that export could play in helping the market to recover to previous highs.
In order to stop this market imbalance, we must export, he said. To address the significant market imbalance there has been a need to identify and exploit export opportunities and this is reflected in the volumes of recovered paper exported from the UK.
Mr Duffy said that the volume of material exported from the UK to foreign markets had risen from 500,000 tonnes in 1989 to 4.4 million tonnes in 2009 however, this is a decrease from 4.8 million tonnes in 2008.
In his speech, Mr Duffy using the most recent available data for the sector said that despite positives in the industry, the year 2000 still represented a peak for performance in terms of paper demand and production.
He said: The year 2000 was a bittersweet year in terms of it symbolising the height of production but also signified the start of decline and we are now making 35% less paper than we did nine years ago.
Mr Duffy added that the number of domestic mills has almost halved since a 2000 peak of 283, with 190 mills now in operation. And, he said that if the levels of demand for paper products were to return to those seen in 2000, then the export of material will become an even more vital part of the paper recycling sector.
And, while Mr Duffy said that 3.76 million tonnes (45.6%) of collected paper material is currently consumed by UK mills, 2.78 million tonnes (36.9%) is currently sent to China and 600,000 tonnes-a-year is sent to mainland Europe.
Highlander
Highlander, which has headquarters in East Kilbride near Glasgow, currently sends material collected through its Northern Irish contracts to the Norske Skog mill in Norway for reprocessing into newsprint.
Opening the event, Brian Bingham, founder and co-director of Highlander, said: Three years ago we were approached by Norske Skog, one of the worlds largest producers of newsprint. Norske Skog sends a large percentage of print rolls to print houses across Ireland.
Three years on and I am pleased to be telling you about the success of this project and to see the sheer volume of what we have achieved.
Also speaking at the event, Eric Randall, director of Bryson Recycling, said his company sends 66,000 tonnes of paper material each year to the export market as part of its work with Highlander. Mr Bryson said that this work was worth around 4.4 million-a-year in revenue to the company.
Delegates at the event were invited to tour the Belfast Docks and see the basis of the export work done by Highlander in the Northern Irish capital.
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