(UPM, Helsinki, December 7, 2007 at 17.00) - The first annual European Paper Recycling Awards were presented on 28th November 2007 by the European Recovered Paper Council (ERPC). "Automated Entry Inspection of Recovered paper" initiated by UPM's Augsburg Research Center was the awarded project out of the six entries in the industry category.
As a result of Automated Entry Inspection of Recovered Paper project carried by Augsburg Research Center in cooperation with two partners, Papiertechnische Stigtung and Carinthian Tech Research, UPM has managed to overcome the difficulty of maintaining high quality paper sources whilst increasing the collection rate of recovered paper. This is possible by using Near infra-red (NRI) technology to distinguish different types of paper and impurities.
"UPM is one of the biggest users of recovered paper in printing papers and our aim is to increase its use. Developing and implementing new methods is important to maintain the high quality and purity of the material," says Mr Peter Engert, Senior Manager of Augsburg Research Center.
By initiating the award ERPC aims to identify projects, initiatives and/or campaigns that contribute to Europe's sustainability through activities focusing on paper recycling. Eligible entries have to fulfil one or more of the criteria:
- promote or encourage paper recycling
- facilitate or improve paper recycling operations
- raise awareness of recycling and how to recycle paper
- improve the quality of recovered paper
An independent panel of experts from across Europe judge the entries in the three categories: industry, local and regional authorities and special projects and campaigns. The panel includes representatives from the European Parliament, the European Commission as well as associations of regional authorities and NGOs.
For more information please contact:
Mr Peter Engert, Senior Manager, Augsburg Research Center, tel. +49 821 3109 405
For more information about European Declaration on Paper Recycling and ERPC please see www.paperrecovery.eu