Resources

Have you ever wondered what makes your tissue soft and white? Share the facts about bleaching agents used in bathroom tissue and paper towel manufacturing by downloading this one-pager to communicate about the modern bleaching process and bleaching process definitions.

Always think before you shred. Shredded paper is less likely to be recycled than sheets of paper because the small shreds of paper can get lost in collection and processing. The smaller the paper is, the less likely it is to get recycled. A good rule of thumb is to only shred paper containing sensitive information.

In a member survey, AF&PA members confirmed paper padded mailers are recycled every day at paper mills across the country. We encourage local communities to update their guidelines.

AF&PA issued a statement on the recyclability of paper padded mailers. In a member survey, AF&PA members confirmed these new mailers are recycled every day at paper mills across the country. We encourage local communities to update their guidelines.

In 2020, AF&PA member pulp and paper mills decreased water use (per ton of product) by 8.3%, from the 2005 baseline year. This marks significant progress towards our Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 sustainability goal to reduce water use at member pulp and paper mills by 12% between 2005 and 2020.

In 2020, AF&PA member companies’ recordable incidence rate was 30% lower than the 2006 baseline. This surpasses our goal to reduce the incidence rate by 25% from 2006 to 2020.

In 2020, the paper recycling rate was 65.7%. This rate marks significant progress towards our Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 sustainability goal to exceed 70 percent rate of paper recovery for recycling by 2020. 

In 2020, AF&PA members reduced GHG emissions – measured in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2eq) per ton of product – by 24.1% from the 2005 baseline. This surpasses the Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 goal to reduce GHG emissions by at least 20% from 2005 to 2020.

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 2005 baseline.

In 2020, AF&PA member purchased energy use per ton of product was 13.3% lower than the 2005 baseline year. This surpasses the Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 sustainability goal which was set to achieve at least a 10% improvement in members’ purchased energy efficiency from 2005 to 2020. 

The Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 Sustainability Achievements Summary highlights the paper and wood products industry’s sustainability achievements under the Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 goals initiative. AF&PA members met or surpassed most of the sustainability goals, including a 24.1% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

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.