• PaperOneTM to introduce ‘Paper Once More!’ recycling programs in Southeast Asia and Middle East
• New additions to PaperOneTM product range also announced at Expo

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – PaperOneTM, the leading premium paper brand, has announced details of new recycling programs that it is introducing across key markets in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, in line with its commitment to increased material efficiency and circularity.

PaperOneTM will collaborate with document disposal and recycling partners in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates to support the collection of paper waste for recycling under the theme ‘Paper Once More!’

In Dubai, PaperOneTM has partnered with a local paper shredding company that provides secure document destruction and recycling services across the United Arab Emirates to pick up wastepaper from various business locations for recycling. The new recycling programs will be highlighted at the international Dubai Expo 2020, which begins on 1 October.

Collectively, PaperOneTM estimates that the ‘Paper Once More!’ collaboration will result in the recycling of approximately 20,000 tons of paper waste in the first full year of operation, with scope for further expansion. PaperOneTM has also committed to support the recycling of one ton of wastepaper for every ton that is purchased by customers in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia through official branded online channels. Exported to more than 70 countries, PaperOneTM is the flagship brand of APRIL Group, one of the world’s leading producers of pulp and paper, which has production operations in Indonesia.

Bey Soo Khiang, Chairman, APRIL Group, said: “Our regional ‘Paper Once More!’ wastepaper recycling programs are a major part of our commitment to becoming increasingly circular and more sustainable as a business. The future growth of our business depends on our ability to become more circular, productive and diversified in a way that is sustainable and benefits climate, nature and people”.

Last year, APRIL launched its APRIL2030 commitments and targets to guide the development of the company’s operations over the coming decade, building on the foundations of its Sustainable Forest Management Policy 2.0. The company’s APRIL2030 commitments include targets to increase material efficiency and circularity to achieve 98% chemical recovery and 25% less process water usage per product tonne.

Wanyan Shaohua, Head of Paper Business, APRIL Group, said: “These recycling programs can also have a significant practical impact. In Malaysia, we’re helping to collect over 2,000 metric tons of wastepaper for recycling purposes, with the use of five recycling trucks and 10 recycle bins. To put this into perspective, the height of 2,000 tons of wastepaper stacked together would be taller than the Petronas twin towers in Kuala Lumpur.”

The PaperOneTM ‘Paper Once More!’ programs are also aligned with the sustainability commitments of APRIL’s sister company, Asia Pacific Rayon (APR). APRIL and APR are part of the RGE group of resource- based companies. APR produces natural and biodegradable viscose rayon used in textile products.

APR will shortly launch its own long term 2030 sustainability strategy, which will include a commitment to using fibre with 20% recycled textile composition in production by 2030, while collaborating with industry partners to advance the collection, sorting and recycling of textile waste. As part of RGE, APR is committed to investing US$200 million through partnerships and technology innovations to mainstream the use of recycled textiles in manmade cellulosic fibre (MMCF) production.

PaperOneTM also highlighted some of the latest addition to its product range at Dubai Expo. PaperOneTM Script has been engineered for scholastic needs and is alkaline sized to meet ISO 9706 standards for archival quality. The PaperOneTM 75gsm two-ream pack has been specially designed for e-commerce purposes and comes with a high-quality box, which protects the two reams of paper during delivery to the end consumer.

For more information, visit www.aprilasia.com and follow Twitter @aprilpulp