Problems of Paper Recycling in Western Europe: Part 5

The restructuring aspect of the current industry has been omitted in this study due to the complexity of the problem, even though it has potential significance for the overall environmental impacts. Primary pulp production, for instance, could be expected to become, for the most part, separated from paper production. This would mean increased use of market pulp and, accordingly, increased energy consumption. In this IIASA feasibility study, the production structure is assumed to remain as it is for the different scenarios produced. The problem of restructuring is, however, one of the topics which will be addressed in the planned full-scale study on recycling of paper products in Western Europe.

Large-scale paper recycling could also have fundamental impact on the European wood balances and, thereby, on the possibilities of practicing sound forest management in the region. About 80% of the raw wood material used in the late 1980s in Western Europe’s pulp industry was in the form of pulp-logs, the main part of which came from thinnings. If increased recycling were to cause the raw wood demand to sink significantly under the biological harvest potential, it may be difficult to maintain silvicultural standards and the vitality of the forest resources. It can be argued, on the other hand, that the thinnings not used by the pulp industry could be used by the board industry. This is, however, unlikely to occur because the board industry’s paying capacity for the pulp-logs is much lower in comparison with the pulp industry.