Fiber Diverted from Landfills™
Did you know that more than 60% of the paper consumed in the U.S. is recovered for recycling?
Sounds like a large percentage, but there are still millions of tons that are headed to landfills instead of being recycled. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), waste in landfills is the largest human-related source of methane and carbon dioxide gas in the U.S., otherwise known as greenhouse gases.
In addition, paper is not used to the degree it once was, reducing the amount of paper available to be recovered. Therefore, it is important to broaden the range of sources for use in recycled papers in order to continue producing environmentally preferable paper.
Through extensive research and development, additional sources of fiber have been identified that not only help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they help recycled paper from becoming a thing of the past.
It's time to think differently about paper. At Boise, we certainly are.
What is FDL?
Fiber Diverted from Landfills (FDL)TM is a broad term that is generally defined as "papermaking fiber materials that have been recovered or diverted from solid waste streams." If not recovered, a high percentage of these waste materials would be disposed of in a landfill. FDL also includes waste material that, if not recovered, would have been managed through other waste disposal practices, such as burning for energy recovery in a "Waste-to-Energy" facility. FDL is used as an input material in a manufacturing process or other commercial application, in lieu of virgin material.
FDL may include both pre-consumer and post-consumer recovered fiber*. FDL specifically excludes waste materials and by-products generated from, and commonly reused within, an original manufacturing process. An example is paper waste generated in a paper mill prior to completion of the papermaking process and reused within that same papermaking process.
*Products containing a specific percentage of post-consumer content will be clearly stated on product packaging.
Example:
A magazine that goes unsold on a newsstand is not classified as post-consumer waste according to the current EPA definitions because it was not in the hands of a consumer. However it has come to the end of its life cycle, and classification of this material as pre-consumer fiber lowers the likelihood that it will be recycled. This increases the chances that it will be taken to a landfill where it would contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
These types of fiber sources are viable for high-quality recycled paper production, are consistent with end-user expectations for the “spirit” of recycling and help to ensure that recycled paper products remain available to customers. The concept of using a more-inclusive definition for recovered fibers is known as Fiber Diverted from Landfills (FDL) TM.
Featured products with FDL:
Boise® Aspen® 100 post-consumer recycled paper
Boise® Aspen® 50 post-consumer recycled paper
Additional Resources
U.S. EPA web page on recycling: http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/recycle.htm
U.S. EPA 2008 report on the municipal solid waste stream:
http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/msw99.htm
American Forestry & Paper Association (AF&PA) press release on the state of paper recovery:
http://www.afandpa.org/pressreleases.aspx?id=1316
E-mail: Imaging Papers
Consumers and small businesses can purchase Boise papers online at:
The FDL process at Boise's Jackson, AL mill has been third party audited by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and became Chain of Custody Certified in April, 2010.
