The study into paper and card packaging flows follows similar collaborative projects on glass, metals and plastic packaging which have also been undertaken by WRAP and Valpak.
It aims to provide ‘robust and independent’ estimates of the amount of paper and card packaging placed on the market between 2014 and 2020.
Estimates will also be produced for how much paper material will be recycled, recovered or sent to landfill over the same timeframe.
The research will help shape policy development at the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), which uses the data to fulfil EU requirements for reporting recycling performance for the UK.
In order to complete the work, Valpak has assembled a steering group made up of members from the waste packaging sector, Defra and the Environment Agency to provide insights into the outputs.
The group is due to report its findings in early 2016.
Paper
The research comes during a period of uncertainty for paper recyclers, following the closure of major paper mills UPM Shotton and Aylesford Newsprint in the past 12 months.
Commenting on the research, Simon Weston of the Confederation of Paper Industries, said the work would help identify where improvements on paper packaging recycling were needed.
He said: “The paper industry has for a long time been a leading material in recycling and this work will provide valuable insight not only into the amount of material in the UK but also help identify where improvements can be made.”
In September 2014, WRAP and Valpak published the findings of their study into the flow of plastic packaging on the market, which documented a shortfall in the amount of material Defra estimated had been placed on the market.
The research found the flow of plastics in 2013 to be 2,260,000 tonnes – around 330,000 tonnes less than the Defra estimate. The plastics sector had previously argued that it would be difficult to hit targets based on the government’s calculation (see letsrecycle.com story).
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