Paper Recycling Conference: Opposing Forces

Society’s relationship to paper is changing and consumption trends are having an impact on the recycled paper industry. With the exception of tissue, paper production has declined in North America, according to Bill Moore of Moore and Associates, who served as the moderator of a session entitled “Opposing Forces” at the recently concluded Paper Recycling Conference.

“The good news is recovery is increasing,” Moore said, adding that the consumption of packaging grades was up on a worldwide basis, but that most of that material is sourced from offshore.

One of the most dramatic issues has been the decline in newsprint consumption. Moore said that consumption declined more than 10 percent from 2006 to 2007 and that the forecast for 2008 is another 7.7 percent drop.

“This is a grim business these days,” said Mark Fitzgerald, editor at large of Editor & Publisher magazine, who spoke on the panel. Fitzgerald commented on falling newspaper stocks as well as the documented decline in circulation.

However, the news about newsprint is not all negative, he continued, adding that while circulation numbers for major metropolitan newspapers have declined, subscriptions to small and mid-sized papers have increased.

Fitzgerald went on to cite that there has been substantial growth in alternative print media, like free weekly papers. “The free paper phenomenon in print is here to stay,” he said.

Moore added that printing and writing grades have also suffered recent decline, with shipments of all grades down 0.9 percent in 2007 compared with the previous year.

When it comes to printing paper, the traditional office pages printed per worker are declining, according to Glen Hopkins of Hewlett Packard. However, like the newsprint industry, the outlook is not entirely negative. While transitory, or short-lived information is increasingly communicated electronically via e-mail, PDA or cell phone, workers still tend to print information of higher value, Hopkins said.

Hopkins said he sees more trends toward environmentally responsible printing and not necessarily movement toward a “paperless” society. For instance, he said HP printers have been designed to be compatible with high recycled-content paper.

Packaging is also undergoing numerous changes, driven mostly by consumers, according to Ronald de Vlam of brand strategy and packaging design firm Webb Scarlett de Vlam. For instance, his firm is focusing on creating more user-friendly packaging, he said.

Consumers are driving a growing trend toward sustainability, health and wellness that has changed their demands for packaging of the products they buy, de Vlam added.

The 2008 Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show was held June 22-24 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Rosemont, Ill. More information is available at www.RecyclingTodayEvents.com.