Every two years, the European Paper Recycling Council (EPRC) rewards the best, brightest and most innovative paper recycling projects from across the continent with the European Paper Recycling Award. The 2017 award ceremony, which took place on Oct. 18, was hosted by MEP Simona Bonafè (Italy), rapporteur of the Circular Economy dossier, and Inés Ayala Sende (Spain).
Favini, a leading global producer of packaging for the luxury and fashion industries, topped the Innovative Technologies and R&D category for its Remake project, which EPRC describes as a “ground-breaking process of using recycled leather to produce paper.”
Aspapel, the Spanish pulp and paper association, headed up the Information and Education category for its Blue Birdies project targeted toward raising awareness on the separate collection of paper across municipalities in Spain.
“Today’s winners are the pioneers that are paving the way the European paper recycling value chain is advancing paper recycling to the next level,” said Lisa Kretschmann, chairperson of the EPRC.
“Whether it be inventive companies or municipalities willing to ‘step outside the box,’ their role is crucial in helping the value chain reach its 74 percent recycling rate by 2020,” Ulrich Leberle, secretary of the EPRC and raw materials director at CEPI (Confederation of European Paper Industries), says.
These two projects were recognized for their originality, innovativeness, measured achievement and ability to be reproduced across Europe, the EPRC says.
Other entries with high scores include:
- Innovative Technologies and R&D category:
- IMPACTPapeRec, a Horizon 2020-funded project on boosting separate collection of paper;
- Comieco’s (Italy) online contest “#iorompolescatole” (“I break boxes”) on raising awareness of recycling paper and board packaging from e-commerce; and
- SCA’s Circular Economy project, Closing the Loop for Paper Hand Towels.
- Information and Education category:
More information on all entries can be found at www.paperforrecycling.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/WINNERS-AND-ENTRIEScover.pdf.