During a recent conversation with a recycled packaging manufacturer, it struck me that, even though we are very knowledgeable individuals, we often trip over our jargon and talk at cross purposes when discussing the processes and materials used in our industry. So, in the interests of developing a common language for dialog (and to expand my own horizons), I pulled together the following short glossary of terms relating to the process of recycling. Many of these definitions were drawn from a lengthy glossary developed by Environmental Defense Fund, which also offers a terrific Paper Calculator for comparing the estimated environmental impact  of a range of paper options, with or without recycled content. (Try the Calculator here.)
Deinked Market Pulp (DMP) – Pulp made from recovered paper by mills that receive high-grade deinking papers (defined below) and remove the ink and contaminants. DMP is produced in sheets as wet-lap pulp (about 50% moisture) or air-dried form and is sold to paper producers who blend it with virgin pulp for use on existing paper machines. Deinking – The separation and removal prior to paper formation of ink and other contaminants from wastepaper slurry by screening, washing, flotation, chemical treatment and bleaching. Fiber Furnish – Recovered paper used to make paper or board with recycled content. Flotation Deinking – In a paper recycling system, removal of ink by a process of adding surfactants to the pulp and pumping bubbles of air through the mixture. The hydrophobic ink particles attach to the air bubbles, float to the surface of the pulp and are skimmed off. Mill Broke – Any paper or paperboard scrap generated in a mill prior to completion of the manufacturing process which is unsuitable for subsequent applications but can be re-used in the paper manufacturing process. Recyclable – The common term for an attribute of a given product or material that permits it to be diverted from the waste stream and reprocessed for subsequent use. Recycled Content – Material from any stage of production or product life that can be diverted from the waste stream and reprocessed for subsequent use in a different product. Process Chlorine Free (Also known as Processed Chlorine Free and PCF) – The designation for recycled paper that is either unbleached or brightened without the use of chlorine compounds. Post-consumer Content: Finished paper products that have been sold in commerce and have served their original purpose. The US  Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), defines post-consumer content as "paper, paperboard and fibrous wastes from retail stores, office buildings, homes and so forth after they have passed through their end-usage as a consumer item, including used corrugated boxes, old newspapers, old magazines, mixed waste paper, tabulating cards and used cordage; and all paper, paperboard and fibrous wastes that enter and are collected from municipal solid waste” Post-Industrial Content (Also known as Post-Manufacture Content) – Materials that are diverted from the manufacturing waste stream. Does not include waste materials that are capable of being reclaimed for use in further production of the same product. (Such as Mill Broke). Pre-Consumer Content (Also known as Recovered Content) – The US Environmental Protection Agency defines this as "materials generated during any step of production of a product, and that have been recovered from or otherwise diverted from the solid waste stream for the purpose of recycling, but does not include those scrap materials, virgin content of a material or by-products generated from, and commonly used within, an original manufacturing process." In paper recycling, this includes such things as trim from converting envelopes, paper plates and cups, boxes and cartons and printing runs, and over-issue publications and forms.