Updated life cycle assessment for graphic and tissue papers

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Since the last major study on paper products dates back to 2000, ifeu was commissioned by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) to conduct a new life cycle assessment. Many technical processes, including paper production, are becoming more and more efficient, and so the question arose as to whether it is still true that graphic and tissue papers made from recovered paper are more environmentally friendly than products made from primary pulp.

Expanded aspects compared to the previous study

What is new is that in addition to graphic papers, tissue papers are also analysed in the present assessment. More efficient production processes, the changed raw material situation of paper mills and aspects that are difficult to quantify, such as biodiversity and the carbon sink function of forests, were taken into account.

Integrated paper production, in which pulp and paper are produced simultaneously from fresh wood and the energy from the combustion processes is used directly, may seem ecologically favourable at first glance because no fossil energy is used. In the case of recycled office paper, the higher proportion of fossil fuels and the emissions from the electricity used still have an impact at present. But it is expected that with the increase in the share of renewable energy sources, the emissions for recycled paper will decrease in the near future. The energy that is generated from fresh wood during integrated paper production could also be put to good use elsewhere.

Procedure

In order to compare the products available on the German market, the origin of the products, the manufacturing processes and the fibres used are researched. A cradle-to-gate comparison made it possible to evaluate the production technologies for office paper. The environmental impacts studied include climate change, acidification, terrestrial and aquatic eutrophication, particulate matter and stratospheric ozone depletion. Last but not least, since Germany imports timber from all over the world, important study categories included land use criteria such as biodiversity, land use change and carbon storage in forests.

Recycling protects biodiversity

Any extraction of wood for primary fibres is an intervention in the forest ecosystem and has the potential to damage forest biodiversity. The use of recycled fibres, by contrast, protects the forests. If, for example, primary forests in Latin America are converted into eucalyptus plantations for timber production, this means a loss of biodiversity.

Recommendations for action

• Paper consumption should be reduced in general
• Increased collection and sorting of waste paper in all European countries to reduce the amount of virgin fibre needed
• Increased import of recovered paper from European countries with lower capacity to produce recycled paper
• Reducing the whiteness of recycled paper, as lower quality recovered paper can be processed here
• Policymakers should promote the use of recycled fibres so that fewer forests are cut down for paper production
• Global mapping of forest areas and the ability to trace supply chains is needed