EPRC: Quality Remains Contentious Issue

Paper mill buyers in Europe know what they don’t want in their paper bales—contaminants like plastics and too much moisture for instance.

Recyclers understand what displeases the mills, but remain adamant that any additional cleaning and screening will come at a price.

Both sides of this debate were aired at a session entitled “Keeping it Clean: Meeting Mill Specifications,” at the 2007 European Paper Recycling Conference.

Moderator Michael Kuehl of Germany’s Kuehl Group noted that recyclers and mills are engaged in “a tough fight” for material in general and for balancing the need for quality against the willingness to pay a higher price.

Paper recycler Hubert Neuhaus of Germany’s Fritsche & Neuhaus Handels GmbH, said his company is focused on “building reliable partnerships between capacity and supply.”

In terms of achieving quality and consistency, Neuhaus said the challenges can be many, including that “every municipality in Germany decides on their own [collection] system.”

Dutch recycler Cees van Berkel of CVB EcoLogistics BV agreed, saying the challenge recyclers face is that mills want “consistent quality from an inconsistent raw material.”

While mills may still experience problematic shipments, van Berkel noted that the evolution of the recycling process and professionalism has yielded specifications such as EN643 in Europe and lower contamination rates.

Representing the mill side, Guillermo Valles Albar of Spanish paper maker Saica proposed that recyclers and mills should agree on an inspection and measurement process that will allow mills to determine the quality of all shipments received. “There are no premiums for good suppliers [and] no penalties for bad ones” in the current system, according to Valles Albar.

As things stand now, said Valles Albar, “suppliers are not worried at all about the problem,” since the costs of poor quality do not bounce back to them.

Moderator Kuehl noted that European mills can insist on higher quality shipments and routinely receive them (especially when material that has never been commingled is shipped), but the mills must be willing to pay a premium.

The 2007 European Paper Recycling Conference, organized by the Recycling Today Media Group, was held in at the Hilton Amsterdam Oct. 3-5.