Marketplace Sustainability

AF&PA released new industry guidance giving consumers confidence on the recyclability of paper padded mailers. Paper padded mailers are widely recycled at paper mills across the country.

AF&PA’s Board of Directors outlined advocacy priorities the association will pursue to help ensure the paper and wood products industry’s sustainability success and economic impact in 2022.

In 2020, AF&PA members procured 99.2% of the total wood fiber from forests, used for product, through a certified fiber sourcing program; and 27.1% of wood fiber was sourced from third-party certified forestlands. This represents a 12.2 and 4.1 percentage point increase, respectively, from the…

The vast majority of Americans have access to a community paper recycling program. Items like pizza boxes, cardboard boxes and paper bags are widely collected for recycling in the United States.

The findings presented in the 2021 AF&PA Access to Recycling Study show us that community recycling programs for paper and paper-based packaging are well-developed and widely accessible. This is good news when so many individuals are looking to make a difference on…

The 2021 AF&PA Access to Recycling Study found many items which are widely accepted. 60% or more of consumers have access to community recycling programs that accept these materials.

The 2021 AF&PA Access to Recycling Study found 82% of the U.S. population has access to a community recycling program that accepts pizza boxes.  

The 2021 AF&PA Access to Recycling Study found 94% of Americans have access to a community paper recycling program.  

The 2021 AF&PA Access to Recycling Study found 79% of Americans have access to residential-curbside recycling programs- an increase of more than 14 million people since our 2014 study.

AF&PA commissioned the 2021 Access to Recycling Study. The study is a comprehensive national report that tracks and measures the growth of access to community paper and paperboard recycling in the U.S. The study shows 94% of Americans have access to community paper recycling programs.

As we look ahead to 2022, there are potentially other states and jurisdictions that will consider EPR approaches that could have negative consequences for the paper and wood products industry.  

We encourage communities to update their residential recycling programs’ guidelines to explicitly accept pizza boxes that are free of food.