Recovered fibre should not be seen as waste, but as a valuable raw material capable of delivering repeated value across multiple lifecycles.
Pressure on natural resources is changing how fibre-based packaging decisions are assessed. As demand for renewable raw materials increases across packaging, energy, construction and other sectors, MM Board & Paper is calling for stronger commitment to recycled fibre as a valuable raw material that should stay in circulation.
For MM Board & Paper, recyclability alone is not enough. Board and paper packaging already benefit from one of the strongest recycling infrastructures of any packaging material in Europe. But circularity only works when recovered fibre is brought back into new products at scale. PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation) implementation, EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) fee structures and growing competition for forest resources are making that question more urgent.
Katja Tuomola, Head of Group Sustainability & Marketing Communications at MM Group, said: “Recyclability is only the starting point. Packaging becomes truly circular when recovered fibre is collected, processed and used again in new products. If demand for recycled content weakens, the value of the whole recovery system weakens with it.”
Independent research conducted with Graz University of Technology has shown that paper fibre can be recycled more than 25 times without significant degradation. For MM Board & Paper, this reinforces the need to treat recovered fibre not as waste, but as a valuable raw material capable of delivering repeated value across multiple lifecycles.
At the same time, demand for virgin fibre is increasing and competition for forest resources is intensifying. Collection costs are rising, while weight-based EPR fee structures can make lighter virgin fibre materials appear more attractive when assessed in isolation.
Jürgen Kleinrath, CSO Board & Paper, said: “This is not about virgin versus recycled fibre. Virgin fibre has an important role where it is technically required. But the assumption that virgin fibre is automatically the premium option and recycled fibre the compromise is outdated.”
MM Board & Paper also points to research commissioned by the German Federal Environment Agency, which found that recycled paper production can save 78% water, 68% energy and 15% carbon emissions compared with the usual market mix of virgin papers. While results vary depending on product type, energy mix and assessment scope, the overall direction is clear: recycled fibre can offer significant resource-efficiency advantages.
These figures should be part of a broader material selection conversation, particularly as brand owners prepare for tighter regulation and increased scrutiny of packaging sustainability claims. Consumer perception adds further weight to the argument. According to the Perspectus Global study Recycled Cartonboard in European Markets, 2025, 80% of consumers say a brand using recycled cartonboard appears more responsible than one using virgin fibre board, while 69% actively prefer recycled cartonboard when offered the same packaging.
Tuomola added: “Decisions that look efficient at pack level can create unintended consequences at systems level if they reduce demand for recycled content. The question is not whether recycled content is good enough. It clearly is. The question is whether the industry can afford to keep treating it as optional.”
For MM Board & Paper, the strongest packaging strategies will be those that use the right fibre for the right application, based on performance requirements, regulatory context, total material cost and wider environmental impact.
Kleinrath concluded: “Fibre is too valuable to use just once. If the infrastructure to collect and recycle paper already exists, then the next responsibility is to keep that fibre working. That means specifying recycled content where it is suitable, trusting modern recycled cartonboard where it performs, and making material choices to keep the circular system working.”
To learn more about MM Board & Paper and its activities, please visit: www.mm.group/board-paper