10 Sustainability Facts from the European Paper Industry

At Schades Group, we recently became a member of Two Sides, a global not-for-profit initiative promoting the sustainable elements of the print, paper and paper packaging industries.  

In this blog we’re sharing 10 facts about the European paper industry that you may be unfamiliar with, in our quest to help Two Sides prove the common misconceptions wrong about the paper and paper packaging industry. 

There’s a common misconception that deforestation is occurring widely across Europe due to paper industry production rates. Two Sides research shows that this is untrue, in reality European forests were actually growing 58,390 sq. km daily (or the size of 1,500 football pitches) between 2005 and 2020. This means that European forests currently span 40% of European land and increasing each year as forests are maintained and preserved. 

Across the paper industry in Europe over 49% of pulp used is made from recycled paper. Schades are committed to our paper and label products using as much recycled material as possible, to keep our practices sustainable and minimise waste throughout our processes. Our Blue4est paper, used across our products, is a fully recyclable thermal paper. This means our customers don’t have to worry about their paper usage impacting their environmental footprint.

Thanks to fewer amounts of pulp being used in paper products, paper is becoming increasingly renewable and biodegradable as microplastics are being restricted. Many of our products were BPA-free, even before EU regulations mandated its exclusion from paper products. At Schades we’re at the forefront of technology, which sees us using cardboard, plastic and even coreless solutions across our range of products, helping us to maximise the recyclability of our paper rolls and labels and minimise the environmental impact wherever possible. 

The European paper industry has a much higher rate of renewable energy usage when compared to other major industries across the continent. Biomass is used across 61% of the industry, as paper producer’s source of onsite energy production, with gas being used 33% of the time.

Paper production processes are also one of the lowest carbon intensity impacts of the industries in Europe. As an industry, we generated 0.9% of emissions across Europe in 2021. At our R+S site in Sarstedt, we use a solar energy system to further reduce our carbon footprint. This renewable energy system is vital in keeping our production process as efficient as possible, while maintaining our quality standards across our products. 

Water usage within our industry has also been questioned, with a misconception that water is used in vast amounts and not recycled to preserve water stocks across Europe. In reality, 93% of used water from the paper industry is returned to the environment after thorough treatment to remove any harsh chemicals or toxins from the paper production process. On average, our industry uses 2,700L of lake and river water per tonne.

It is vital that our industry actively works to prevent industry-wide misconceptions being at the forefront of the public’s mind. Through initiatives such as Two Sides and the European Converted Paper Association (ECPA), and accreditations such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) Schades and our colleagues within our industry can reassure our customers and the public that our processes are fully compliant with rigorous sustainability standards.

The European Paper Recycling Council, has recently announced that the paper value chain in Europe is on track to recycling 76% of its materials by 2030, as pledged in 2021. With sustainable practices and initiatives being promoted by Schades, alongside paper industry organisations, the public’s awareness of the industry’s sustainable commitments is increasing.  

In the European paper industry, 51% of pulp is virgin (i.e. not from a recycled source) however, 90% of fibres used in Europe are from Europe. Cepi have also confirmed that the European industry produced 33.7 million tonnes of pulp in 2024. Whilst the high percentage of virgin fibres are increasing the environmental impacts of paper production the reliance upon European fibres is drastically reducing the carbon footprint of the paper production process, when compared to countries where paper production fibres are imported.

Thanks to our latest partnership with Two Sides and ongoing campaigns on our LinkedIn page, myths about the European paper industry are being addressed and overturned. By highlighting the key issues in our industry and promoting the environmental initiatives that are constantly being introduced by Schades, and our paper industry colleagues, the public perception and understanding of our industry is growing.

At Schades Group, we’re proud to be a sustainable leader in our industry. We’re committed to staying ahead of European sustainability regulations, whilst never compromising the standards of our products.  

Contact us today to see how we can provide your business’ paper rolls and labels.