Buy-Recycled   Series
                                   PAPER  PRODUCTS
COMPREHENSIVE
 PROCUREMENT
   GUIDELINES
       PAPER
  Buying recycled products...

  ...conserves natural resources
  ...saves energy
  ...reduces solid waste
  ...reduces air and water pollutants
  ...reduces greenhouse gases
  ...creates new jobs
 Solid Waste and Emergency
 Response (5305W)
 Washington, DC 20460
 EPA-530-F-04-015
 www. epa. gov/osw
 May 2004
     Ten years ago, very little recy-
     cled-content printing and writ-
     ing paper existed. Now, it's
readily available, along with recycled-
content newsprint, paper towels, and
corrugated packaging—and at higher
quality and more competitive prices
than ever before. That's in part due to
      government initiatives since
      1988, when the U.S.
      Environmental Protection
      Agency (EPA) issued the
      Procurement Guideline for
      Paper and Paper Products
      Containing Recovered
      Materials. The 1988 paper
      guideline's buy-recycled
      requirements are now part of
      EPA's Comprehensive
      Procurement Guidelines
      (CPG).
      To make it easier to buy
      recycled, the EPA updates
      the CPG every 2 years.
      Through the CPG, EPA des-
      ignates items that must con-
      tain recycled materials when
      purchased with appropriated
      federal funds by federal,
      state, and local agencies,  or
      by government contractors.
Among these items, EPA has desig-
nated 5 types of paper products made
from recovered materials. EPA's
research shows that the items desig-

nated in the CPG are of high quality,
widely available, and cost-competi-
tive with virgin products. EPA also
issues nonregulatory companion
guidance—the Recovered Materials
Advisory Notice (RMAN)—that rec-
ommends levels of recycled content
for these items.

Why Buy Recycled?
Recycling is more than just dropping
off your cans, bottles, and newspapers
at the curb or at a local collection
facility. Diverting recyclables from
the waste stream is only the first of
three steps in the recycling process.
The second step occurs when compa-
nies use these recyclables to manu-
facture new products. The third  step
comes when you purchase products
made from recovered materials.
That's how we close the loop.

Buying recycled products results in
many environmental benefits. It sup-
ports local recycling programs by cre-
ating markets for the collected
materials that are processed and used
to manufacture new products. This
creates jobs and helps strengthen the
economy; conserves natural
resources; saves energy; and reduces
solid waste, air and water pollutants,
and greenhouse gases that contribute
to global warming.

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What is  CPG?
      The Resource Conservation and Recovery
      Act requires procuring agencies to buy
      recycled-content products designated by
EPA in the CPG. Issued in May 1995, the first
CPG designated 19 new products and incorpo-
rated five previously designated items (includ-
ing paper and paper products) in eight product
categories. Paper RMAN I was published in
May 1996. Paper RMAN II,which superceded
the previous Paper RMAN,  was published in
June 1998. The first CPG update (CPG II) was
published in November 1997. The second CPG
update (CPG III) was published in January
2000, and the third CPG update (CPG IV) was
published in April 2004. No new paper prod-
ucts were designated in any of the updates.
Procuring agencies include  all federal agencies,
and any state or local government agencies or
government contractors that use appropriated
federal funds to purchase the  designated items.
If your agency spends more than $10,000 per
year on a product designated in the CPG, you
are required to purchase it with the highest
recycled-content level practicable. The CPG
also applies to lease contracts covering desig-
nated items. Executive Order 13101 and the
Federal Acquisition Regulation also call for an
  crease in the federal government's
recycled-content and environmentally prefer-
able products.

Once any new items are designated in a pub-
lished CPG update, an agency has 1 year to
develop an affirmative procurement program
(or revise an existing one) to include these new
items. By June 22, 1989, agencies were
required to develop affirmative procurement
programs to incorporate buy-recycled require-
ments for paper and paper products. Since
CPG IV designates no new paper products,
agencies are not required to revise this portion
of their affirmative procurement program.

The CPG acknowledges that specific circum-
stances might arise that preclude the purchase
of products  made with recovered materials.
Your agency may purchase designated items
that do not  contain recovered materials if it
determines  that: 1) the price of a given desig-
nated item made with recovered materials is
unreasonably high, 2) there is inadequate com-
petition (not enough sources of supply), 3)
unusual and unreasonable delays would result
from obtaining the item, or 4) the  recycled-
content item does not meet the agency's rea-
sonable performance specifications.
                                   PAPER PRODUCTS
                                        PAGE 2

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How  Do  I  Purchase  Recycled-
Content Paper  Products?
      The Paper Products RMAN II recommends recy-
      cled-content levels that you can look for when
      purchasing paper products, as shown in the
table on the following pages. Use EPA's RMAN recom-
mendations as a starting point. The recommendations
are based on market research used to identify recycled-
content products that are commercially available. The
RMANs also provide other purchasing guidance. Please
refer to  for more
information on individual products.

Rather than specifying just one level of recycled
content, the RMAN recommends ranges for many
paper products, which reflect what is currently
available in the United States. The recycled content
of paper products varies; therefore,  you should con-
tact local paper mills or merchants to determine
product availability. Try to purchase paper  contain-
ing the highest content that is available to  you.
When buying paper other than printing and writing
paper, specify that you want paper "containing X
percent recovered fiber, including Y percent post-
consumer fiber." (For most printing and writing
papers, you can simply say you're looking for 30
percent postconsumer content.)

In addition, make sure you measure recovered and
postconsumer fiber content as a percentage of the
weight of all fiber in the paper, not as a percentage
of the total weight of the sheet. (The total weight
also includes the weight of dyes, fillers, and water
used in the manufacturing process.)

Access EPA's online recycled-content products
database by going to  and select-
ing "Supplier Database." See the last section  of this
fact sheet for other helpful resources.
          Key Terms

  Before buying recycled-content paper products meeting EPA's recommendations, you'll need to under-
  stand some important terms.
  Postconsumer fiber:
  •  Is the paper recovered in our homes and offices.
  •  Does not include newsstand returns and printers' overruns.
  Recovered fiber:
  •  Includes scrap generated at mills after the end of the papermaking process; converting and printing
     scrap; newsstand returns and printers' overruns; obsolete inventory of mills, printers, and others;
     damaged stock; and postconsumer fiber.
  •  Is not waste. EPA has replaced the term waste paper used in the 1988 guidelines with recovered fiber,
     to acknowledge that this material is a valuable resource.
  •  Must be repulped. Paper cannot simply be re-cut or repackaged to count as recovered-content paper
  •  Does not include forest residues such as sawdust and wood chips from forestry operations.
  Mill broke:
  •  Is scrap generated in a mill prior to the completion of the papermaking process.
  •  EPA recommends that you allow mills to count the recycled-content portion of mill broke. You
     should not count the nonrecycled-content portion, however.
                                     PAPER PRODUCTS
                                          PAGE 3

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1 EPA's Recommended Content Levels for Paper Products
ITEM 1 NOTES 1 POSTCONSUMER 1
1 1 RECOVERED 1
^^^^m
1 1
FIBER |
TOTAL
RECOVERED
FIBER

Reprographic
Offset
Tablet
Forms Bond
Envelope
Cotton Fiber
Text and
Cover
Supercalendered
Machine
Finished
Groundwood
Papeteries
Check Safety
Coated
Carbonless
File Folders
Dyed Filing
Products
Index and Card
Stock
Business papers such as bond, electrostatic,
copy, mimeo, duplicator, and reproduction
Used for book publishing, commercial printing
direct mail, technical documents, and manuals
Office paper such as note pads and notebooks
Bond type papers used for business forms such
as continuous, cash register, sales book, unit
sets, and computer printout, excluding
carbonless
Wove
Kraft, white, and colored (including manilla)
Kraft, unbleached
Excludes custom envelopes
High-quality papers used for stationary,
invitations, currency, ledgers, maps, and
other specialty items
Premium papers used for cover stock, books
and stationary and matching envelopes
Groundwood paper used for advertising and
mail order inserts, catalogs, and some magazines
Groundwood paper used in magazines
and catalogs
Used for invitations and greeting cards
Used in the manufacture of commercial
and government checks
Used for annual reports, posters, brochures, and
magazines. Have gloss, dull, or matte finishes
Used for multiple-impact copy forms
Manilla or colored
Used for multicolored hanging folders and
wallet files
Used for index cards and postcards
30%
30%
30%
30%
30%
10-20%
10%
30%
30%
10%
10%
30%
10%
10%
30%
30%
20%
20%
30%
30%
30%
30%
30%
10-20%
10%
30%
30%
10%
10%
30%
10%
10%
30%
30%
20-50%
50%
PAPER  PRODUCTS
          PAGE   4

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Pressboard        High-strength paperboard used in binders and
                  report covers

Tags and          Used for toll and lottery tickets, licences,
Tickets           and identification and tabulating cards

Newsprint

Newsprint        Groundwood paper used in newspapers

Commercial Sanitary Tissue Products

Bathroom Tissue   Used in rolls or sheets

                  Used rolls or sheets

                  Used in food service applications

                  Used for personal care

                  Used in cleaning and wiping applications
Paper Towels

Paper Napkins

Facial Tissue
General-purpose
Industrial Wipers
Paperboard and Packaging Products
Corrugated
Containers
Solid Fiber
Boxes

Folding Cartons
Industrial
Paperboard

Miscellaneous
Padded Mailers


Carrierboard
Brown Papers

Miscellaneous Paper Products

Tray Liners
                  Used for packaging and shipping a variety
                  of goods
                  (<300 psi)
                  (300 psi)

                  Used for specialized packaging needs such
                  dynamite packaging and army ration boxes

                  Used to package a wide variety of foods,
                  household products, cosmetics,
                  Pharmaceuticals, detergent, and hardware

                  Used to create tubes, cores, cans, and drums
                  Includes "chipboard" pad backings, book covers
                  covered binders, mailing tubes, game boards,
                  and puzzles

                  Made from Kraft paper that is usually brown
                  but can be bleached white

                  A type of folding carton designed for multipack
                  beverage cartons

                  Used for bags and wrapping paper
                                                              POSTCONSUMER
                                                                RECOVERED
                                                                   FIBER
 50%


 20%




20-85%



20-60%

40-60%

30-60%

10-15%

 40%
                  Used to line food service trays. Often contain
                  printed information
50-75%
                                                                                  TOTAL
                                                                                RECOVERED
                                                                                  FIBER
  20%


 20-50%




20-100%



20-100%

40-100%

30-100%

10-100%

40-100%
25-50%
25-30%
40%
40-80%
45-100%
75-100%
5-15%
10-15%
5-20%
25-50%
25-30%
40%
100%
100%
90-100%
5-15%
10-100%
5-40%
  100%
                                     PAPER PRODUCTS
                                          PAGE 5

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        Paper Buying Tips
To make it even easier to buy recycled-content paper
products, EPA offers the following purchasing tips for the
various paper product categories outlined in the RMAN.

Printing and writing papers comprise one of the largest
categories of paper and paper products. Examples include
stationery, computer printout paper, note pads, copier
paper, and offset paper. Printing and writing papers can
be uncoated or coated.

When buying printing and writing paper, remember to:

•   Work with your printer. Different papers exhibit dif-
    ferences in performance and printability. Some print-
    ers might first want to test certain papers with a
    particular ink. Printers also can help you select papers
    based on how they will be used (i.e., whether they will
    be folded, die-cut, or made into self-mailers).

•   Work with your graphic  designer. Some papers are
    better than others for certain design needs. Make
    sure both the designer and printer agree that the
    paper you choose will meet your expectations.

•   Consider the environmental ramifications of your
    purchasing  decisions. Papers with certain character-
    istics, such as deep colors,  coatings, or groundwood
    content, might not be recyclable in your existing
    office paper recycling program or might require
    changes to the program.  Consider the effects of your
    paper purchases before deciding to purchase a specif-
    ic paper.

Newsprint is  a type of groundwood paper generally used
    to print newspapers. Recycled-content newsprint  is
    usually manufactured from fiber recovered from old
    newspapers and magazines. The federal government
    uses newsprint for printing the Federal Register,
    Congressional Record, and other publications.

When purchasing newsprint, consider these helpful
hints:

•   Pay attention to newsprint's basis weight. Basis
    weight is the weight in pounds of a ream of paper
    cut  to a specified size. Different weights hold up
    better in different presses. Recycled-content
    newsprint ranging from 25 to 32 pounds generally
    performs well. The U.S.  Government Printing Office
    specifies 28 pound recycled-content newsprint.

•   Consider your requirements for the newsprint you're
    buying. Recycled-content newsprint manufacturers
    are making products that meet their clients' perfor-
    mance requirements (e.g., print-ability, brightness,
    cleanliness, and opacity).

•   Determine whether newsprint is recyclable in your
    existing recycling program. Some office paper recy-
    cling programs do not accept groundwood papers
    such as newsprint; find out whether yours does
    before you buy newsprint.

Sanitary tissue products include bathroom and facial tis-
sue, paper towels, napkins, and general-purpose industri-
al wipers. When purchasing these products remember
these tips:

•   Avoid misconceptions about softness, absorbency,
    and strength. Some recycled-content sanitary tissue
    products are softer, stronger, and more absorbent
    than others. Consider your aesthetic and functional
    requirements for tissue products before purchasing a
    specific product.

•   Remember to review your janitorial supply contracts
    because commercial tissue products are often pur-
    chased through contractors. Make sure your supply
    contracts specify recycled-content, not virgin,  prod-
    ucts.

•   When changing brands, consider other factors that
    could influence your purchasing decision. When
    switching from sheet to roll paper towels, for exam-
    ple, you might incur costs to replace dispensers or
    fixtures  if such costs are not borne by the supplier.

Paperboard and packaging is a broad category of paper
products that includes corrugated containers, folding car-
tons, book and report  covers, mailing tubes, video  cas-
sette boxes, paper bags, and wrapping paper. They can be
manufactured with a wide variety of recovered fibers
including old newspapers, old corrugated containers,
mixed papers, and sorted white office paper. In fact,
paperboard mills use more recovered fiber than any other
segment of the paper industry.

When purchasing recycled-content paperboard and pack-
aging consider these tips:

•   Remember, you can print on recycled boxes, not just
    on virgin, bleached boxes.

•   Be aware that you can use recycled boxes in food
    applications and still meet Food and Drug
    Administration requirements.
                                            PAPER PRODUCTS
                                                  PAGE 6

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How  Do  I  Get  More  Information?
T
      Information Available
      From EPA
his fact sheet and the following publications on
buying recycled-content products can be accessed
in electronic format on the Internet.
   EPA Expands Comprehensive Procurement
   Guideline (CPG). This fact sheet provides general
   information about the CPG and the development of
   affirmative procurement programs. See
   .

   Federal Register (FR) notices promulgating CPG I (60
   FR 21370/EPA530-Z-95-006) and RMAN I (60 FR
   21386/EPA530-Z-95-007), May 1, 1995, and Paper
   Products RMAN I (60 FR 26986/EPA530-Z-96-005),
   May 29, 1996. FR notices promulgating CPG II (62
   FR 60961/EPA530-Z-97-009) and RMAN H (62 FR
   60975/EPA530-Z-97-010), November 13, 1997, and
   the Paper Products RMAN II (63 FR 31214),  June 8,
   1998. FR notices promulgating CPG III (65 FR 3070)
   and RMAN III (65 FR 3082), January 19, 2000. FR
   notices promulgating CPG IV (69 FR 24028) and
   RMAN IV (69 FR 24039), April 30, 2004. See
   .
        Other Sources of
        Information

U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). GSA's
Environmental Products Guide contains more than
1,500 paper and paper products containing recovered
materials. To view an electronic version of the
guide, visit .

U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO). GPO pro-
vides a variety of recycled-content printing papers to
federal agencies. To view federal government paper
specification standards see the GPO Web site at

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