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Tissue sector faces shortage of recyclable paper supply
Due to a global shift to digital, tissue makers have less recyclable fibers available on the market
With an increasing number of people working remotely, offices have become more digital environments. As a result, the production of waste to be transformed into recycled paper for tissue products such as toilet paper or, even, in the manufacture of cardboard packaging, has recorded significant declines, which directly impact manufacturers in the sector, according to a report released by the organization of Ethical Consumer consumers.
Due to factors such as offices becoming increasingly digital environments and a significant number of people working remotely, the production of waste to be transformed into recycled paper for tissue products has registered significant declines, which directly impact manufacturers in the sector, according to a report released by consumer organization Ethical Consumer.
The report showed Kimberly-Clark, Sofidel and Essity as the top three tissue manufacturers in the world and states that, they have reduced the amount of recycled fibers present in the composition of their tissue products since the pandemic.
Also, according to the document, Kimberly-Clark cut the amount of recycled fiber in its personal care and tissue paper products by 19.3% in 2021, down from 29.7% registered in 2011.
Sofidel, on the other hand, reduced the use of recycled fiber in its products from 8.9% in 2019 to 7.3% in 2021. Essity, in turn, reduced the amount of recycled paper in its product lines from 40% in 2018 to 36% in 2022. For Ethical Consumer, with the drop in the supply of recycled paper, the use of virgin wood pulp tends to increase.
For Chris Forbes, co-founder of Checky Panda – a manufacturer of bamboo toilet paper –, this trend should also grow less paper waste became available in the market to be turned into recycled fibers. “clearly there is a lack of supply because people are more digital so less newspapers, books and office supplies paper waste,” Forbes said. “I can’t see this trend changing. In fact I see less available recycled paper as people move more digital.”
