EPRC: Buyers’ Remorse

Paper mills know when they receive a substandard bale, but figuring out precisely where that bale came from can make it difficult to track for quality reasons. That was the contention of mill buyers who formed a discussion panel at the European Paper Recycling Conference, held in Barcelona in late September.

The panel, which was introduced by David Barrio, recycling director for the Spanish paper industry association ASPAPEL, included buyers representing mills that produce three different types of paper.

Francisco Galindo purchasing director at Stora Enso Barcelona, a paper mill located near the Conference’s host city, noted that 19 percent of his facility’s purchases went toward recovered paper, matching energy as the number one line item.

Galindo also noted that while there is plenty of fiber being collected in Spain, his mill, which is part of the large Scandinavian Stora Enso Group, would like to adopt several strategies to improve its buying position.

The purchasing director listed increasing the number of long-term contracts, buying more from local recyclers, and improving the “traceability” of shipments.

Traceability was also an aspect mentioned by Nuno Messias, raw materials purchasing manager for the Europac kraft linerboard mill in Burgos, Portugal.

Messias, who before joining Europac worked in the semi-conductor industry, commented that “Quality in the paper industry is measured by [whole] percentages; in the semi-conductor industry, it’s parts per million.”

He said traceability of shipments, especially when making paper grades that will have food contact, is needed to improve quality. “It is time for us to have 21^st century quality systems in the paper industry,” Messias stated.

Carl Sundberg of Holmen Paper Madrid, a mill operated by Sweden’s Holmen Paper, says the influx of Chinese buying has put “a lot of pressure on the Spanish market” for recovered fiber.

Sundberg presented a “Christmas Gift List” to attendees that included more long-term contracts with suppliers, and he identified not only recyclers but also generators such as printing plants and municipalities.

The existing system in Spain is causing Holmen to examine collecting more mixed material, doing its own sorting and then shipping out the OCC and other grades that it does not consume itself. “For our reasons—quality reasons and cost reasons—we have to do our own sorting,” said Sundberg.

The European Paper Recycling Conference, hosted by the Recycling Today Media Group, took place Sept. 25-26 at the Hotel Tryp Apolo in Barcelona.