Dr Thomas Krauthauf, responsible for Business Development at UPM in Schongau and Ettringen, Germany, follows Dr Ulrich Höke as chairman of the International Association of the Deinking Industry. Höke celebrated his 65th birthday in January and will retire from active service as managing director of Stora Enso Sachsen GmbH in June 2016; he therefore did not stand for re-election. The new board of INGEDE consists of:

Stefan Endras, Utzenstorf Papier (Switzerland),
Dr Volker Gehr, Steinbeis Papier (Germany),
Dr Thomas Krauthauf, UPM (Germany),
Dr Johann Oberndorfer, UPM (Germany), 
Thomas Reibelt, Norske Skog (Austria), and
Alejandro Rodríguez, Holmen Paper (Spain).

The leaders of the working groups within INGEDE are members of the extended board:

Manfred Geistbeck, UPM (Germany), 
Peter Hengesbach, Stora Enso (Germany), and
Anne-Katrin Klar, SCA Hygiene (Germany).

The members of the board elected Thomas Krauthauf chairman, his deputy is Stefan Endras.

Under the leadership of Höke since his first election in 2003, INGEDE developed into an internationally recognised institution within the paper value chain. From 2010 to 2012, Höke also chaired the European Recovered Paper Council (ERPC). Based on the INGEDE Methods, the ERPC issued criteria for the evaluation of the recyclability of printed products that have been included into numerous national ecolabels up to the European Ecolabel for Printed Products. 

More than three million euros invested into research

INGEDE includes 28 European paper mills that utilise paper for recycling to produce new graphic paper, hygiene paper, or white top liner and folding boxboard. In 2015, INGEDE members used more than 7 million tons of paper for recycling.

INGEDE coordinates research projects, which benefit the needs of all members. Lead by Höke, since 2003 INGEDE started projects worth more than 3 million euros.

More than just financing research work, over the last years INGEDE has developed 17 “INGEDE Methods“, which serve as objective standards in the evaluation of paper for recycling, paper and pulp properties or the evaluation of the recyclability of print products.

INGEDE is an association of leading European paper manufacturers founded in 1989. INGEDE aims at promoting utilisation of recovered graphic paper (newsprint, magazines and office paper) and improving the conditions for an extended use of recovered paper for the production of new graphic paper, hygiene paper, and white top liner and folding boxboard.