The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner
Reinvention and change and change again. That is what survival comes down to, especially in the graphics industry. James Cropper Paper has been making paper for a global market since 1845 over which period reinvention has been a constant for the company. Their story is not so unique in that respect, however this paper company is in the vanguard of new recycling developments. Today James Cropper Paper make paper from conventional materials such as cotton and wood, and unconventional ones including carbon fibre and recycled paper cups. To do this James Cropper Paper is pioneering environmental technology and providing new sustainability models serving markets in more than fifty countries.
James Cropper’s technology for recycling paper cups is one extremely significant area of development, not least because paper cups generally end up in landfill. These cups are 95% wood fibre and 5% polyethylene which makes them unsuitable for recycling, so billions of the things go to landfill or are incinerated. James Cropper has built a dedicated facility for extracting the paper fibres and plastics from paper cups and food packaging, converting materials to create raw materials for new paper and plastic products such as garden furniture.
It’s a simple yet ingenious process whereby the paper cups are softened in a warm solution to separate fibre and plastic coating. The plastic is skimmed off for recycling, and the remaining water and pulp then filtered. What remains is high grade pulp that can be used to produce luxury papers and packaging materials. James Cropper has a deal with McDonald’s and Simply Cups to collect paper cups for recycling. This gives McDonald’s some sustainability salve, but more importantly sets a precedent that other organisations can follow, especially if they are in the coffee business.
The trick with any recycling project is to have a viable waste collection model that consumers and the food industry can support. It has to be convenient and cost effective and it has to reduce the overall environmental burden, rather than shifting it around. James Cropper and McDonald’s UK have set up a recycling trial at a selection of McDonald’s outlets, with used paper cups collected and delivered to James Cropper’s Reclaimed Fibre Facility. This is the world’s first commercial paper cup processing plant of its kind. The pulp is being used in the company’s Coffee range of papers, containing up to 50% of recycled drinks cup pulp.
Turning waste into a revenue stream is one of the underlying factors in the Circular Economy. James Cropper Paper is leading the way for all paper companies who want to support the creation of new raw materials from waste. Let’s hope other companies take an interest in their technology and that we see the model spread.
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