India generated 26,000 tonnes per day of plastic waste in 2017-18, of that only 60 per cent was recycled and the rest ended up as litter on roads, in landfills or streams. Single use plastic industry is close to Rs 80,000 crore right now and growing. Packaging accounts for a third of India's plastic consumption, and 70 per cent of plastic packaging is turned into waste in a short span. While uncollected plastic waste poses a huge threat to species on land and in water, single-use plastic bags and styrofoam containers can take up to 1,000 years to decompose, said the study released at the world's largest paper fair, PAPEREX organized by Hyve India, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Hyve Group Plc, London, last week. Paper, on the other hand, is eco-friendly green product and bio-degradable, it said, adding it was a myth that the paper industries cut trees for production, and consumption of water and energy is high. Paper industry plants more trees than harvested and primary raw material are 100 per cent renewable like wood and agro-residues.

As the world of communication continually shifts towards digital, many consumers are being given a message that this is better for the environment. This latest Two Sides survey provides an insight into how consumers view these initiatives, including the environmental impacts of digital versus paper-based communications, and how they perceive and use paper in their daily lives. Organisations and governments are increasingly driving communications online and either withdrawing paper-based documents such as bills and statements, charging consumers who wish to receive them, or making paper more difficult to access. Carried out by international research company Toluna in June 2016, the survey questioned more than 7000 consumers worlwide (528 of them in the UK). Among the findings, the survey reveals that many consumers want to retain the choice of using print and paper, at no additional cost, and that many question or feel misled by "go paperless - go green" and similar greenwash claims - believing cost savings to be the primary driver for organisations looking to phase out paper-based communications. Although there are concerns about the environmental impacts of print and paper, many respondents prefer paper-based communications to digital options for a variety of reasons including ease of reading and a lack of internet access. A large majority recognise that paper-based communications can be a sustainable way to communicate when produced and used responsibly, including recycling. More education is needed to raise awareness about the industry’s positive environmental message related to sustainable forest management and recycling. For example, despite European forests growing in size (44,000 square kilometres - an area bigger than Switzerland in the past 10 years or the equivalent of 1,500 football pitches a day), 65% of UK respondents perceive that European forests are shrinking. The majority of respondents do not know that paper is one of the most recycled products in Europe with recovery rates of 72%. There is a preference for print on paper in all age groups, indicating a more fundamental and more human way that we react to the physicality of print on paper. Compared to the 2011 Two Sides surveys, the following positive trends are apparent showing that messages from the industry are gaining traction: •79% agreed that print on paper is more pleasant to handle and touch when compared to other media (compared to 70% in 2011) •73% agreed that paper is based on a renewable resource (65% in 2011) •16% believe that our forests have either stayed the same or increased in size (vs. 10% in 2011) •31% believe that the paper industry has a higher than average recycling rate (25% in 2011) •14% have seen adverts related to the effectiveness and sustainability of print and paper (vs. 8% in 2011), and a large majority rated the ads as credible and useful. To read the full report, please click the download link below.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) today announced 66.2 percent of paper consumed in the United States was recovered for recycling in 2019. Over the last decade, the U.S. paper industry achieved a consistently high recycling rate, meeting or exceeding 63 percent since 2009 — a rate that’s nearly doubled since 1990, when the industry first set a paper recycling goal. The recycling rate for old corrugated containers (OCC) in 2019 was 92.0 percent, and the three-year average OCC recycling rate is 92.3 percent. “Paper recycling continues to be an environmental success story,” said AF&PA President and CEO Heidi Brock. “More than twice as much paper is recycled than is sent to landfills, saving an average of 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space for each ton of paper recycled. This is a testament to consumer behavior and an industry commitment to paper recycling. AF&PA members continue to invest in manufacturing infrastructure that will allow us to recycle even more paper in the years ahead.”