The circular economy has quickly become a central element of European economic policy. The aim of politicians and businesses is to reduce the use of fossil raw materials through recycling and reuse, and to replace them with renewable alternatives. The European Commission is currently preparing legislation that aims to step up the recycling of oil-based plastics. “We are collaborating closely with industry; the Plastics Alliance we have brought together includes representatives from the whole value chain. Their task is to solve the problem of how to increase the recovery, recycling and reuse of plastics in Europe,” explains European Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen. Click Read More below for additional information.

Klabin, Brazil’s largest paper producer and exporter and the leading manufacturer of corrugated board packaging and industrial bags, has published a public summary of its 2016 Forestry Stewardship Plan for Santa Catarina on its website. The plan presents the Company’s initiatives for managing its forests, its social and environmental actions in the region, as well as social and sustainability policies. The Public Summary describes Klabin’s forest areas in Santa Catarina using geo-climatic, topographic, geological and hydrological data. It also sheds light on wood forestry stewardship, covering different areas and operations such as research, planning, forestation, harvest and forestry transportation, in addition to non-wood forestry stewardship practices.

Water quantity and quality concerns have been steadily rising in the last several years. Arguably, the crisis in Flint, Michigan has caused the country to focus on water issues more than it ever has before. While that focus, appropriately, is on drinking water infrastructure, water use and quality issues are and will continue to be of concern in many regions and communities. In those areas, AF&PA members are taking the steps necessary to be part of the solution. Through our Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 initiative our members have committed to reduce water use in their pulp and paper mills by 12 percent from 2005 to 2020. In 2014, they are more then half way there, having reduced water use by 6.5 percent. They are making progress toward achieving this goal by taking simple, routine steps, such as upgrading to more efficient technologies, as well as more innovative projects. click Read More below for additional information