PAPER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL - Sorting for a circular future: How new technologies unlock new opportunities in paper-based packaging recycling. Susanne Haase, Program Director, 4evergreen - Paper Technology International 2026 - Book - Page 108

PAPER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL - Sorting for a circular future: How new technologies unlock new opportunities in paper-based packaging recycling. Susanne Haase, Program Director, 4evergreen

PAPER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL - Sorting for a circular future: How new
technologies unlock new opportunities in paper-based packaging recycling.
Susanne Haase, Program Director, 4evergreen
INTRODUCTION:
As Europe races toward ambitious recycling targets, one question is emerging as central to the future of circular packaging: how
can we sort increasingly complex paper-based materials accurately, ef昀椀ciently, and at scale?
As the shift toward a more circular economy accelerates,
paper-based packaging has emerged as a leading example of
sustainable design. As a wider range of paper-based packaging
enters the market, there are opportunities for investments in new
technologies and processes that ensure high-quality, recyclable
packaging is collected, sorted and recycled at scale.
The latest Guidance on the Improved Collection and Sorting
of Paper-Based Packaging for Recycling created in a collective
effort by the 4evergreen alliance lays out both the challenges
and promising breakthroughs that can contribute to the future of
Europe’s paper recycling infrastructure.
This updated version of Guidance aims to help
policymakers, municipalities, waste operators, and industry partners
understand best practices for collection and sorting in Europe. The
document maintains its recommendation for separate household
collection systems:
•
One stream for paper and board materials (P&B)
•
One stream for lightweight packaging (LWP)
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This approach reduces contamination, increases yield, and
ensures that materials reach the appropriate recycling infrastructure,
whether it is a paper mill with conventional or specialised recycling
process.
Together with the recently updated Circularity by Design
Guideline and the Recyclability Evaluation Protocol, the Guidance
forms an integral part of 4evergreen’s Toolbox. Through its 昀椀ndings,
the alliance is dedicated to perfecting the circularity of paper-based
packaging, thereby supporting the transition towards a circular and
sustainable society. By working together, the shared ambition is
to raise the recycling rate of paper-based packaging in Europe to
90% by 2030. Bringing together more than 100 industry leaders
from the entire paper-based packaging value chain - including pulp,
paper, and board manufacturers and recyclers, as well as packaging
producers, converters, food and beverage brand owners, retailers,
and waste management companies - the alliance fosters robust
collaboration across the sector.

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