ASPAPEL, the Spanish Association of Manufacturers of Pulp, Paper and Cardboard, has presented the update of the Sustainability Report of the Spanish Paper Industry 2019
In this report we observe very positive data for this industry, whose main resource, wood, is 96% of national origin, obtained in a sustainable way, which in turn originates more than 23,000 jobs directly and indirectly
In relation to waste management this industry manages a fairly sustainable cycle, since 70% of the raw material used is recycled fiber while the remaining 30% is virgin wood fiber whose majority is certified.
The industry has a social and industrial circularity that work together; In 2018, 4, 893,600 tons of recycled paper were registered, positioning us as the third most recycler country in the European Union, being 73% of local origin.
“In the bioindustry of paper there is a double circularity: the natural circularity of wood (which is regenerated and replanted) and the social and industrial circularity of recycling (with the prominence of citizens who, after the use of products, collaborate with the administrations and the industry in their recovery and recycling) ”, explained Jordi Mercader, president of ASPAPEL, who presented the Report together with Vice President Elisabet Alier and General Director Carlos Reinoso.
It also highlights the efficient use of water and energy during papermaking,
The use of water in the industry is about 109 million m3 per year, representing half of the water used in 1990, and production has increased by 60% since the 1990s.
It is important to consider that of the m3 of water used only a small part is consumed during the paper production process, and the rest is returned purified for reuse, complying with the highest demand levels.
With these positive data we can conclude that the paper industry is an increasingly sustainable and respectful industry.
All data are from the Sustainability Report of the Spanish Paper Industry whose full version can be consulted and downloaded at www.aspapel.es/sostenibilidad/memoria.
