So, we now know that fibres degrade each time they are recycled, meaning that there are physical limits on why recycled fibres can’t be used to a greater extent than they are today. Fresh fibres are always needed in the circular process.
In addition to this fact, it is also good to know that there are some clear quality and functionality advantages and reasons for using fresh fibre in certain grades of paper. Some grades can easily use 100% recycled paper, if the incoming quality of old paper is high enough. Other grades can use perhaps 50% recycled. But some grades must have all fresh fibres to meet the quality demands in terms of performance and market requirements.
Because RCF (recycled fibre) degrades after several uses, for some paper grades RCF simply can’t give the paper the required properties it needs – or the properties could be achieved but with too high economical or environmental costs.
These properties might include strength, brightness, bulk, opacity, printability, and many other technical characteristics that are commonly known as quality specifications.
Fresh-fibre paper has clear quality advantages for certain grades and uses
Fresh-fibre paper produced with Holmen’s TMP (thermo-mechanical pulp) process is lighter and more porous than RCF paper, with a naturally high opacity and brightness. Fresh-fibre papers made with TMP are comparatively thick, but light, which provides advantages regarding cost and environmental impact.
The lighter paper also means lower weight for distribution and reduced CO2 emission for transport. The high opacity is good for readability and makes it possible to use a lighter, thinner paper, without contents being visible from the other side of the page.