Kraft paper is a 100% biodegradable natural product. The pulp is made from long virgin fibres of maritime pine and is not bleached, to ensure minimum chemical processing and to retain the wood's natural colour.
Kraft paper biodegrades entirely naturally. Just like the leaves from the trees, kraft paper decomposes naturally within a few weeks, returning to its initial form of cellulose fibres, which can be fully assimilated back into its original natural environment, with no adverse impact on nature or human health.

 

Some industries compost packaging made from natural kraft paper.

 

Although kraft paper is totally biodegradable, this is not an excuse to simply to throw it away !

Wherever possible, paper packaging should be reused or recycled.

 

 

Long, virgin, unbleached fibres have another major benefit, since they give natural kraft paper a high level of mechanical strength. They allow the design of reusable packaging, and permit lower grammages of paper to be used while maintaining the same strength.
Kraft paper offers specific advantages that meet the needs of manufacturers and consumers as regards environmentally friendly packaging design.

 

 

 

Natural kraft paper is also a highly recyclable single-material product. Its long fibres can be recycled several times, making it ideal for the end-of-life management of packaging. It can also be incinerated to produce energy.

 

 Paper and cardboard are France's most recycled materials

France's recycling rates for various packaging materials are as follows (source: Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development):

  Paper and cardboard: 61%
  Metals: 52%
  Glass: 51%
  Wood: 19%
  Plastic: 14%

 

France's paper recycling rate is already well above the 2008 target set by European directive 2004/12/EC as regards overall recycling (quantity of recycled used packaging relative to the quantity of packaging consumed).
In addition, the process for recycling paper and cardboard used in packaging can be repeated several times, due to the exceptional mechanical properties of the fibres involved.

 

In addition to the properties of the material itself, this exceptionally high recycling rate is due to the commitment made by the paper packaging industry, over a number of years, to ensure the proper management of its products after use. The total recovery rate for paper, i.e. the proportion of used paper that is either recycled or incinerated with energy recovery, is 62%. This is vastly higher than the average of around 12% for household waste.

 

 

 

Paper is an acknowledged "green" product, which consumers like because of its properties and environmentally friendly quality.

 

 

When asked recently, 82% of French people agreed that:

Paper is made from renewable sources, is biodegradable and recyclable, and is the ideal bio-material !