Sustainability Framework
and Position Papers
Mission of the Tissue Industry:
* Benefit the people by offering optimal
hygiene solutions and convenience.
* Act in the best sustainable way.
According to the Mission of the European Tissue Symposium, a Task Force including all the key Tissue Companies has worked recently to create a Sustainability Framework and to enrich the set of the existing ETS Position Papers.
POSITION PAPERS ARE LOCATED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE
Click here to reach the page: “Tissue Paper, the Smart Choice“, which also includes the document “Paper is sustainable“, available for download
ETS KEY STAKEHOLDERS
SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK:
ETS Member Companies have identified
SIX Sustainable development GOALS
as the most relevant for the Tissue Sector.
ETS member companies engage responsibly with all stakeholders of the tissue industry. With their products and services they provide enhanced hygiene and sustainability for their customers and consumers. Their mission is to strive to ensure the balance of ecological, social and economic actions. Using this holistic approach they optimise their production and business activities, creating growth in each of the four pillars of sustainability. ETS member companies make a major contribution to six Sustainable Development Goals, namely numbers 3, 6, 8, 12, 13 and 15.
The SIX GOALS have been translated into FOUR fundamental PILLARS, appropriate for the Tissue Industry.
We built our agenda on FOUR PILLARS:
* RESPONSIBLE SOURCING,
* SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS,
* RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
* CIRCULARITY/CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Member Companies Sustainability ACTIONS
and ETS Position Papers
ETS member companies are convinced that progress in the upcoming challenges like the circular economy, the plastic strategy or the EU Green Deal can only be achieved if all stakeholders are working together. As occurred with legislation in previous years, ETS member companies will continue to work as active business partners with the European Commission and other bodies developing regulatory actions and legislation affecting the overall use of tissue. This may be alone or in conjunction with other Stakeholders.
ETS POSITION PAPER ON THE SUSTAINABLE USE OF PACKAGING MATERIALS
June 2020
European Tissue Symposium
Position on the sustainable use of packaging materials
Introduction
ETS is the European Tissue Paper Industry Association. Its members represent the majority of tissue paper producers throughout Europe and around 90% of the total European tissue production. ETS was founded in 1971 and is based in Brussels.
Summary
ETS members manufacture products that are essential for health and hygiene. The members are working hard to ensure the packaging used to protect the quality and integrity of its products is the most sustainable possible. ETS supports the use of scientific tools, such as LCA (Life Cycle Analysis), to ensure that all decisions on the use of materials, such as plastics, are based on sound science. It supports the work by the EU and by municipal, national and multi-national groups to minimise the impact of plastic and to increase the amount of recycling of used packaging. In the future, ETS hopes that cooperation at an international level will further minimise the environmental impact associated with the use of plastics in the supply chain.
Context
The importance of tissue products
ETS members manufacture products that are essential for health and hygiene. Production is predominantly focused on hygienic tissue paper that is commonly used in the manufacture of facial tissue, handkerchiefs, napkins, toilet tissue, household/Away From Home towels and wipes. Many tissue products are essential for the health and hygiene of consumers as they help to clean and dry the body. A number of national health authorities, for instance, recommend a ‘Catch it Bin it Kill it’ approach for viruses, where people are advised to catch a sneeze or a cough in a tissue and then bin it to avoid cross contamination.
In 2018 the industry produced 7.4* MT of hygienic paper, utilising sustainably sourced wood pulp and recovered fibre as the main raw materials. Packaging is essential to maintaining the quality, product safety and brand image of these products’ In 2018, XX MT of packaging was used, primarily made from corrugated board and petroleum-based plastics.
ETS position on EU and UN sustainability programmes.
ETS and its members support the goals of the EU circular economy and the UN Environment Programme to minimise the impact of plastic on the environment.
The European tissue industry believes that the programmes of the EU and the UN to minimise the impact of plastic on the environment form an important part of the global work to achieve a sustainable future.
The EU’s latest initiative, the ‘Green Deal’, targets a carbon neutral Europe by 2050 is an important step in this direction. Measures to reduce plastic use and to increase the recycling of the remaining plastic, triggered by the Green Deal, are welcomed by the tissue industry.
At a global level similar goals must be initiated to avoid exporting the problem to other economies or importing products that have a disproportionately high environmental burden.
ETS position on packaging
The tissue industry is looking for the most sustainable solution to package its products. ETS members will consider all options to meet their sustainability goals and to maintain the functional demands for packaging, needed to meet customer criteria related to hygiene and durability requirements of logistics. Plastic has many advantages for use as a material for packaging soft tissue paper products. It is light-weight and protects the products from moisture, dirt and damage during transport and warehousing. Plastic materials have also developed technically over recent years, enabling the use of lighter forms of plastic packaging that use less material. In addition, the plastic packaging used by the tissue industry is fully recyclable.
To meet further sustainability targets, the tissue industry is also investigating alternative biodegradable and fossil free packaging material instead of conventional fossil-based plastic. Currently, there are several tissue products that are packed in paper packaging on the market in Europe. The demand for alternatives to conventional fossil-based plastic has increased dramatically, and the European tissue industry in conjunction with packaging suppliers is now devoting substantial effort to resolving this issue. The European tissue industry is following these material developments closely and, when feasible, implementing them for the benefit of the environment.
ETS position on increasing the recycling of plastic packaging
In the European Union, recycling facilities are already widely in use and ETS supports the work by national and local governments to further improve the collection and reprocessing infrastructure to ensure all plastics are recycled. Plastic materials are a valuable raw material and should stay within the circle of recyclables as long as possible. This reduces the consumption of raw materials and minimises the impact on the environment. ETS recommends that all essential plastic materials are developed according to the “Design for Recycling” idea and are easy to recycle. ETS supports the establishment of suitable collection and sorting facilities in Europe so that waste can be turned into valuable commodities and fed back into the production cycle as raw materials.
Furthermore, ETS is committed to making waste separation transparent and easy for consumers by providing appropriate information on plastic packaging.
ETS view on environmental assessment
ETS actively supports the use of environmental assessment tools such as Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and product foot printing to help ensuring that products and their packaging are designed with the lowest environmental impacts. Reliable and accurate data about the environmental performance of products are an essential element in the environmental decision-making process. In its Communication on Integrated Products, the European Commission concluded that Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) provide the best framework for assessing the potential environmental impacts of products currently available.
Many ETS member companies already use the life cycle approach as a tool to support choices regarding the environmental improvement of products and services.
Packaging is considered an integral part of tissue paper products. For this reason, ETS actively supports its members’ goals to adopt solutions and materials that provide alternatives to traditional plastics. This done by using a comparative analysis based on the most recent and advanced LCA methods and identifying clear environmental advantages.
The Future
ETS welcomes the strategy to increase cooperation through international organizations in order to address the issue of plastic packaging on a global scale.
ETS welcomes and strives to be an active partner in preparing a new strategy to reduce and minimise the global impacts of plastic packaging.
ETS believes that a stronger and effective solution will only be possible when bringing together citizens, local and national authorities, civil society and industry, working closely with the EU institutions and consultative bodies.
Please see individual ETS member companies’ websites for more details of their individual policies and programmes on manufacturing waste.
For more information, please contact:
Fanis Papakostas: tel. +30 697 231003
Email: fanis.papakostas@europeantissue.com
www.europeantissue.com
ETS STATEMENT ON WATER USAGE
November 2020
European Tissue Symposium
Statement on water use
Introduction
ETS is the European Tissue Paper Industry Association. Its members represent the majority of tissue paper producers throughout Europe and around 90% of the total European tissue production. ETS was founded in 1971 and is based in Brussels.
Summary
The Tissue Paper sector provides hygienic solutions for the health and well-being of consumers and the community. The tissue industry uses significant amounts of water in producing tissue paper. Water transports and distributes fibres on the paper machine to form tissue paper, but the used water stays mainly in the process and is cleaned after use.
Context
ETS member companies acknowledge the importance of fresh and clean water and therefore are committed to:
Support UN sustainable development goal No 6 for clean water and sanitation and contribute to research in order to achieve efficient water usage throughout the entire lifecycle of their products.
Strive to comply with the zero-pollution action plan for water, air and soil set in the EU Green Deal.
Control and reduce the environmental impact by deploying suitable technology to reduce the use of water throughout the production process.
Strive to ensure that the process waters are extensively re-used, prefering that the water is used in a closed circulation.
Clean the water thoroughly before returning it back into the rivers, lakes or sea.
Strive to ensure that the water use is not contributing to water scarsity.
Acknowledge that water is a shared resource and to use it efficiently and responsibly.
Also, in line with the EU Green Deal, the individual member companies are striving to develop ways to ensure more water-efficient, circular operations and contribute to the “zero-pollution” ambition by implementing efficient water treatment technology.
Please see individual ETS member companies’ websites for more details of their individual policies and programmes on manufacturing waste.
For more information, please contact:
Fanis Papakostas: tel. +30 697 231003
Email: fanis.papakostas@europeantissue.com
www.europeantissue.com
In particular, ETS member companies will continue to contribute to developing legislation and targets in key areas of the EU Green Deal such as the new EU climate law enshrining climate neutrality by 2050, the circular economy action plan including a sustainable products initiative, combined transport solutions, the new forest strategy and measures for deforestation free value chains.
ETS POSITION PAPER ON ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
October 2020
European Tissue Symposium
Position Paper on Sustainable Energy and Climate Change
Introduction
ETS is the European Tissue Paper Industry Association. Its members represent the majority of tissue paper producers throughout Europe and around 90% of the total European tissue production. ETS was founded in 1971 and is based in Brussels.
Summary
ETS member companies are committed to mitigate climate change by reaching the global consumer goods industry’s goal of driving down carbon emissions through innovation in our individual production processes, supply chains and products.
Context
ETS member companies believe that climate change is one of the greatest challenges we face, both as society and as businesses. Tackling the accelerating pace of climate change requires transformational changes to the broader systems in which businesses operate.
As ETS member companies we are committed to mitigate climate change by reaching the global consumer goods industry’s goal of driving down carbon emissions through innovation in our individual production processes, supply chains and products.
ETS member companies have individually defined strategies and measures to drive down CO2 emissions both in production and in transport. ETS member companies support government policies which create the right context for change and business action while maintaining competitiveness, in order to advance the goal of the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rises well below 2.0 degrees by the end of the century and pursue a course to keep it to 1.5C.
ETS member companies therefore welcome the EU COM roadmap of key actions within the EU Green Deal focussing on the areas of climate change with the aim of achieving the carbon neutrality by 2050; clean, affordable and secure energy, an industry strategy for a clean circular economy and protecting biodiversity in a toxic free environment.
The Future
Only by working together with all stakeholders having a common vision, can we meet this critical challenge.
Please see individual ETS member companies’ websites for more details of their individual policies and programmes on energy and climate change.
For more information, please contact:
Fanis Papakostas: tel. +30 697 231003
Email: fanis.papakostas@europeantissue.com
www.europeantissue.com
The European Tissue Paper Industry Association is committed to use cellulose wood pulps which are derived from sustainably and legally managed forests. In particular ETS encourages the use of third-party certification as one of the best ways to ensure that suppliers meet these requirements.
ETS POSITION PAPER ON RESPONSIBLE SOURCING
November 2020
European Tissue Symposium
Position Paper on responsible sourcing*
* In this context ‘responsible sourcing’ is an overall term that includes business relations, social standards and procurement
Introduction
ETS is the European Tissue Paper Industry Association. Its members represent the majority of tissue paper producers throughout Europe and around 90% of the total European tissue production. ETS was founded in 1971 and is based in Brussels.
Summary
ETS member companies support the UN global compact principles on human rights and labour as well as the EU policies on Corporate Social responsibility and Responsible Business Conduct.
ETS member companies are committed to implement international working standards in their supply chains such as freedom of movement, fair payment for jobs, and no indebted or coerced work.
Context
ETS member companies believe that good business practices are the best basis for fair trading and strive to behave accordingly. This includes all dealings with all their suppliers, customers and consumers. Tissue products manufactured by ETS member companies contribute to the health and hygiene of millions of people globally.
ETS member companies support the UN global compact principles on human rights and labour. The United Nations Global Compact provides a universal language for corporate responsibility and a framework to guide all businesses regardless of size, complexity or location in terms of fair business relationships along the entire value chain.
The Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact are derived from: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. See Annex for more detail.
ETS member companies are aware that the actions of companies have significant impacts on the lives of citizens in the EU and around the world. Not just in terms of the products and services they offer or the jobs and opportunities they create, but also in terms of working conditions, human rights, health, the environment, innovation, education and training. ETS member companies understand their positive and negative impacts on society and the environment. ETS member companies have individual policies and guidelines in place to help prevent, manage and mitigate negative impacts that they may cause, including within their global supply chains.
The ETS member companies support the EU definition of Corporate Social Responsibility and Responsible Business Conduct as “the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society”. Respect for applicable legislation, and for collective agreements between social partners, is a prerequisite for meeting that responsibility. ETS member companies have individual processes in place to integrate social, environmental, ethical, human rights and consumer concerns into their business operations and core strategy in close collaboration with their stakeholders.
One area of procurement that deserves special attention is forestry. All tissue products are made primarily from either fresh or recycled fibres. All ETS member companies are committed to use cellulose wood pulps which are derived from sustainably and legally managed forests. ETS encourages the use of third-party certification as one of the best ways to ensure that suppliers meet these requirements. Please follow the link to see more details of our policy on forestry.
Position-on-Sustainable-Forestry-and-Forest-Certification (November 2017)
The Future
Only by working together with all concerned stakeholders with a long-term view, can we achieve these societal goals.
Please see individual ETS member companies’ websites for more details of their individual policies and programmes on water use.
For more information, please contact:
Fanis Papakostas: tel. +30 697 231003
Email: fanis.papakostas@europeantissue.com
www.europeantissue.com
Ecodesign: ETS member companies are committed to offer safe products both for the consumer and the environment, following the Sustainable Development Goal n. 12 of the United Nations, that aims to promote Responsible Consumption and Production models. ETS member companies support the use of voluntary tools like updated and recognised Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies and international environmental accredited standards for the disclosure of product sustainability features or environmental comparative assertions. In addition, ETS member companies will continue to engage in developmental activities for methodologies that will provide easy to understand environmental data about their individual products in order to minimise the risk of misleading claims or unfair market practices. The use of these tools applies to any element of the product, including packaging.
ETS POSITION PAPER ON ECODESIGN
November 2020
European Tissue Symposium
Position Paper on Ecodesign (sustainable product development)
Introduction
ETS is the European Tissue Paper Industry Association. Its members represent the majority of tissue paper producers throughout Europe and around 90% of the total European tissue production. ETS was founded in 1971 and is based in Brussels.
Summary
The Tissue Paper sector provides hygienic solutions for the health and well-being of consumers and the community. Individual ETS member companies therefore have the responsibility of producing such goods in a responsible and sustainable way, taking care to carefully evaluate the consequences of their operations and activities along the entire value chain. The individual ETS Member companies support the use, on a voluntary basis, of updated and recognised Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies and international accredited environmental standards for the disclosure of product sustainability features or environmental comparative assertions in order to minimise the risk of misleading claims or unfair market practices.
Context
In its Communication on Integrated Product Policy (COM (2003)302), the European Commission concluded that LCAs provide the best framework for assessing the potential environmental impact of products currently available. In the document, the need for more consistent data and consensus on LCA methodologies was underlined.
Goal n.12 of the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development aims to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. As defined by the Oslo Symposium in 1994, sustainable consumption and production (SCP) is about “the use of services and related products, which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimising the use of natural resources and toxic materials as well as the emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle of the service or product so as not to jeopardize the needs of further generations”.
The European Green Deal (COM (2019)640) promotes the idea that reliable, comparable and verifiable information plays an important part in enabling buyers to make more sustainable decisions and reduces the risk of ‘green washing’. Companies making ‘green claims’ should substantiate these against a standard methodology to assess their impact on the environment.
The position of the Tissue Paper sector on Ecodesign (sustainable product development)
The Tissue Paper sector provides hygienic solutions for the health and well-being of consumers and the community.
Individual ETS member companies therefore have the responsibility of producing tissue products in a responsible and sustainable way, taking care to carefully evaluate the consequences of their
operations and activities along the entire value chain, with the aim of offering safe products for the consumer and the environment.
ETS member companies recognise the Sustainable Development Goal n. 12 of the UN, the EU Integrated Product Policies, the Ecodesign Policies and the Sustainable Product Policy Framework described in the European Green Deal as the main references from which to draw inspiration to drive future product innovations.
ETS member companies are aware that the growing market expectations in terms of environmental sustainability have triggered commercial competition based on the environmental performances of their products, by displaying ecological labels and also with the dissemination of self-assessed environmental claims made available both on and off the product.
When used as a voluntary tool, the individual ETS member companies support the use of updated and recognized LCA methodologies and international environmental accredited standards for the disclosure of product sustainability features or environmental comparative assertions, in order to minimise the risk of misleading claims or unfair market practises. The application of the above mentioned methodologies and standards is intended for any element of the product, including packaging.
ETS member companies actively contributed to the EU Commission project to develop Product Category Rules for intermediate paper products under the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) EU methodology along with other Trade Bodies. Despite the intense work, ETS still feel that there are areas that should be improved in the PEF methodology, in particular for the land use impact methodology and sustainable forest management.
The Future
ETS member companies will individually continue to engage in developmental activities for methodologies that will provide easy to understand environmental data about their products in order to minimise the risk of misleading claims or unfair market practices.
Please see individual ETS member companies’ websites for more details of their individual policies and programmes on water use.
For more information, please contact:
Fanis Papakostas: tel. +30 697 231003
Email: fanis.papakostas@europeantissue.com
www.europeantissue.com
ETS POSITION PAPER ON THE SOCIAL BENEFITS OF TISSUE PRODUCTS
November 2020
European Tissue Symposium
Position Paper on the hygiene benefits of tissue products
Introduction
ETS is the European Tissue Paper Industry Association. Its members represent the majority of tissue paper producers throughout Europe and around 90% of the total European tissue production. ETS was founded in 1971 and is based in Brussels.
Summary
Hygiene is one of the most important factors in the development of modern society and a key measure in the prevention of transmission of gastrointestinal and cold/flu infections. ETS member companies understand that the use of toilet paper, paper handkerchiefs (including all facial tissues) and paper hand towels play an important role in the control of infection and the promotion of good hand hygiene within the general population. It is widely accepted that lower hygiene risks contribute to better health.
Context
Toilet Tissue Toilet Tissue is essential for maintaining personal hygiene and is a staple paper product in any household or washroom. Good toilet hygiene reduces the risk of illness, infection and disease, and both adults and children should practice good hygiene in the bathroom. Wiping properly and thoroughly after urination and bowel movements using a sufficient amount of toilet paper followed by proper hand washing is an essential part of good toilet hygiene. Disposable Facial tissues and Handkerchiefs
The use of disposable facial tissues and handkerchiefs is often recommended by European health authorities, as they represent an easy way to limit the transmission of bacteria and viruses such as Influenza. In the winter cold and ‘flu season blowing the nose and throwing the used tissue into a bin can be considered to be an essential act of hygiene. For example, this simple act was summarised in the campaigns of the French Ministry of Health and the French National Health Education and Prevention Institute (INPES): “Bin your handkerchief, a simple act to limit the risk of infection” and later “The disposable handkerchief is the only one that prevents contagion”, as well as by the UK Department of Health, which launched the slogan “Catch it, Bin it, Kill it!”.
Paper Hand towels
Although consumers’ awareness regarding the necessity of hand hygiene is increasing, the importance of efficient hand drying is less well understood. Scientific studies have shown
that using absorbent paper towels to dry hands offers the optimal level of hand hygiene compared to all other methods commonly used. Physical tests have demonstrated that paper
towels can absorb up to nine times their own weight in moisture. This absorptive capacity or moisture absorption of paper towels is important for the removal of water droplets when drying the hands.
For more detail see: https://europeantissue.com/blog/position-on-the-use-of-air-dryers-vs-paper-hand-towels/
Or the “Position on the use of electric air dryers versus paper hand towels” directly here:
https://europeantissue.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/ETS-PP-Hygiene-WAD-JAD-September2018.pdf
The Future
As the level of awareness regarding the importance of hygiene increases, ETS member companies will continue to educate all stakeholders in society about the importance of tissue products in personal hygiene. They will continue to provide easy to understand educational materials and summaries of peer-reviewed scientific research to assist with the promotion of good hygiene within the general population.
Please see individual ETS member companies’ websites for more details of their individual policies and programmes on water use.
For more information, please contact:
Fanis Papakostas: tel. +30 697 231003
Email: fanis.papakostas@europeantissue.com
www.europeantissue.com
ETS POSITION PAPER STATEMENT ON PRODUCT SAFETY
October 2020
European Tissue Symposium
Statement on product safety
Introduction
ETS is the European Tissue Paper Industry Association. Its members represent the majority of tissue paper producers throughout Europe and around 90% of the total European tissue production.
ETS was founded in 1971 and is based in Brussels.
Summary
All ETS member companies operate a proper regard for product safety and are committed to:
- Implementing procedures to ensure that all tissue products and associated services are safe for their intended and for foreseeable use.
- Regularly assessing products for compliance with all applicable regulations, guidelines and standards.
- Operating systems to monitor any complaints from the public and taking immediate remedial action if necessary.
- Ensuring that any product or product component which ETS member companies source from third parties follow their product safety criteria.
- Implementing continuous improvement measures to secure that their high standards are implemented across the whole value chain.
- Investigating any concern about the safety of trace chemicals in their products raised by third parties.
- Communicating to the public in an open, honest and transparent way about the safety of their products.
Please see individual ETS member companies’ websites for more details of their individual policies and programmes on product safety.
For more information, please contact:
Fanis Papakostas: tel. +30 697 231003
Email: fanis.papakostas@europeantissue.com
www.europeantissue.com
ETS POSITION PAPER ON WORKER SAFETY
September 2020
European Tissue Symposium
Statement on Workplace Safety
Introduction
ETS is the European Tissue Paper Industry Association. Its members represent the majority of tissue paper producers throughout Europe and around 90% of the total European tissue production. ETS was founded in 1971 and is based in Brussels.
Context
All ETS member companies are committed to:
Ensuring that workplace safety is the number one priority for all employees.
Integrating their belief that all workplace injuries and illnesses are preventable into our research and engineering, product development, manufacturing, delivery, and sales activities.
Providing a workplace that meets or exceeds applicable occupational safety and hygiene laws and regulations.
Establishing occupational safety and hygiene standards and technical guidance based on best practices.
Striving to continually improve their occupational safety and hygiene performance.
Expecting all personnel to contribute to safety improvements.
Please see individual ETS member companies’ websites for more details of their individual policies and programmes on energy and climate change.
For more information, please contact:
Fanis Papakostas: tel. +30 697 231003
Email: fanis.papakostas@europeantissue.com
www.europeantissue.com
End of life: ETS member companies support the transition to a circular economy through the development of more circular product solutions. Through the careful selection of ingredients and raw materials, efficient resource use and the development of optimal after-life management solutions, the individual members aim to drive circularity and secure that their products and packaging are compatible with existing waste handling systems and recycling infrastructure.
ETS POSITION PAPER ON PRODUCT AFTER USE
November 2020
European Tissue Symposium
Position Paper on product after use
Introduction
ETS is the European Tissue Paper Industry Association. Its members represent the majority of tissue paper producers throughout Europe and around 90% of the total European tissue production. ETS was founded in 1971 and is based in Brussels.
Summary
ETS member companies provide essential hygienic solutions for the health and well-being of consumers and the community. The individual member companies actively support the EU circular economy agenda by using their innovative power to develop products, processes and business models with the aim to enable either closing the loop at the end of the product’s lifecycle or to ultimately dispose of the products and their packaging safely in the different local waste management schemes. After use treatment of tissue products include many options like composting, energy generation or even recycling (packaging, hand towels) as they are compatible with municipal waste management systems.
Context
The European Green Deal aims to transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy, moving towards a zero-pollution ambition to protect the EU’s natural capital and citizens’ health and well-being.
On the European level, the EU Circular Economy Action Plan is one of the main building blocks of the European Green Deal, Europe´s new agenda for sustainable growth. There is a special focus on turning waste into a resource, with more prevention, re-use and recycling, and phasing out wasteful practices like landfilling.
Also, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #12: “Responsible consumption and production”encourages the development of new solutions that enable sustainable consumption and production patterns.
- Tissue products are essential for health and hygiene of consumers.
- They are usually single use products and typically go to waste after use. Recycling options may still be limited compared to packaging material, but tissue products fit nicely into existing waste management schemes and could even provide a benefit there (incineration with energy recovery(1) or composting).
- Individual ETS member companies are committed to support the development of new circular business models with the aim to increase the amount and degree of product recovery and to minimize waste. This includes the recovery of material through recycling of
packaging and used tissue where possible and appropriate (e.g. used hand towels), or the beneficial use via composting, incineration with energy recovery, and avoiding landfilling. - Individual ETS member companies are committed to sustainable production, focusing, among others, on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, transferring to renewable energy, decreasing their water use, promoting zero waste to landfill, eliminating waste, reducing packaging weight and fostering recyclable packaging and the use of recycled content in the primary product as well as in packaging.
- Individual ETS member companies are developing/designing sustainable products using fresh wood-based fibre, recycled fibres and alternative fibres. It is important to promote circularity to increase the availability of paper for recycling as a secondary raw material.
- Individual ETS member companies have launched new products into the market which use less material for the same functionality.
- Individual ETS member companies are working together with their packaging suppliers on the recyclability of packaging (e.g. sleeves and cases) to turn waste into a resource through collection, sorting and recycling of the materials.
- Individual ETS member companies are committed to provide easy to understand and harmonised information about sustainable products, proper waste disposal, anti-littering and recycling for consumers as well as for professional customers (hotels, clinics, restaurants, etc) is essential.
The Future
Tissue products will in the future be even more essential for health and hygiene of consumers.
ETS member companies therefore strongly believe that stakeholder dialogue is needed to implement the right solutions in Europe by having a common vision of no landfilling and turning as much as possible waste into a resource. They support a holistic and harmonised approach for any legislative EU measures, embracing economic, environmental and societal dimensions, and ensure consistency between existing measures.
For that reason, ETS member companies encourage regulators to continue removing existing barriers between chemicals, products and waste legislation in order to secure that the legal framework supports circularity and recycling of its products. Finally, the industry is requesting a harmonised waste legislation amongst all EU member states, following the single market idea.
Please see individual ETS member companies’ websites for more details of their individual policies and programmes on water use.
For more information, please contact:
Fanis Papakostas: tel. +30 697 231003
Email: fanis.papakostas@europeantissue.com
www.europeantissue.com
ETS POSITION PAPER ON MANUFACTURING WASTE
November 2020
European Tissue Symposium
Position Paper on Manufacturing Waste
Introduction
ETS is the European Tissue Paper Industry Association. Its members represent the majority of tissue paper producers throughout Europe and around 90% of the total European tissue production. ETS was founded in 1971 and is based in Brussels.
Summary
The Tissue Paper sector provides hygienic solutions for the health and well-being of consumers and the community. The tissue industry´s production processes use significant amounts of raw materials, water and energy, and generate waste streams that are managed according to the best waste management practices.
Context
ETS member companies acknowledge the importance of efficient use of all resources and the need to pursue the reduction or elimination of all types of manufacturing waste, and therefore are committed to:
Support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #12: “Responsible consumption and production” that encourages the development of new solutions that enable sustainable consumption and production patterns.
Use industry’s best available technologies, and to design their processes to be safe, lean and efficient, aiming for closed loop systems where all incoming materials are: either converted into finished products, recycled internally or externally or re-used in alternative ways through partnerships.
Strive to comply with the zero-pollution action plan for water, air and soil set in the EU Green Deal.
Reduce fibre use by re-using waste fibres from the production process.
Reduce water use, treating and recirculating waste water back to the process, replacing fresh water inputs.
Reduce energy consumption, through recirculation & reutilization of waste hot air in the drying process or in integrated co-generation systems.
Pursue the ambition for “Zero Waste” processes.
Implement processes for the separation of waste to maximise recycling of materials.
The Future
ETS member companies, together with their individual suppliers, research centres and all stakeholders in the value chain, will proactively work toward a sustainable and circular society, creating value for their customers and consumers while reducing the impact on the environment through smarter product design as well as greater resource efficiency in their production.
Please see individual ETS member companies’ websites for more details of their individual policies and programmes on manufacturing waste.
For more information, please contact:
Fanis Papakostas: tel. +30 697 231003
Email: fanis.papakostas@europeantissue.com
www.europeantissue.com
