CEPI has published an updated version of its ‘Paper for Recycling – Quality Control Guidelines’, including an annex which outlines in more detail the technical measurements.The update is the result of sustained industry consultation and a step towards achieving a harmonised approach on quality control and measurement. The additional annex provides more detailed information on instrumental analysis via automatic sensor Near Infra-Red (NIR) and instrumental analysis via automatic microwave sensor.
The updated guidelines were first launched in April 2016 with the objective of improving the implementation of the revised EN 643 Standard and to facilitate commercial relationships between paper mills and their suppliers of recovered paper for recycling. “The inclusion of the annex reflects the trend of paper companies increasingly using technical measurement in their quality control. The focus on quality is crucial for the functioning of secondary raw material markets and makes paper recycling a role model for the circular economy,” says Massimo Medugno, Director General of Assocarta, CEPI’s member in Italy.
While CEPI remains actively engaged in the ongoing standardisation process on the sampling of paper for recycling, the present guidelines are much wider in scope. They put strong emphasis on the inspection procedure for quality control at the paper mill and explain what controllers should consider during an inspection in order to decide if a load should be accepted, conditionally accepted or refused. The control procedure recommended is described in detail and illustrated by a ‘decision tree’ at the end of the document.
CEPI strongly encourages its member companies to apply the new guidelines in the purchasing of paper for the recycling market. www.cepi.org
