Paper recycling rate of 71.7 percent recorded in 2012, with paper consumption now down to 1998 levels.
OPI reports that paper recycling rates in Europe increased to 71.7 percent during 2012 as the number of European countries with a recycling rate below 60 percent decreases, with 13 countries now exceeding paper recycling rates of over 70 percent.
The European Recovered Paper Council (ERPC) reportedly deemed the figures “a remarkable achievement”, with paper consumption dropping 13 percent to the same levels recorded in 1998 but the amount of paper being recycled being 1.5 times higher than that year.
The ERPC also found that paper fibre in Europe is recycled 3.5 times per year on average compared to the global average of 2.4 times.
Jori Ringman-Beck, Secretary of ERPC, said: “The figures in the report prove that paper recycling is truly an industry made in Europe.”