Bringing the industry together

In October, the paper industry gathered in Chicago for the Recycling Today Media Group’s annual Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference (PPRC), an event that has brought together those from all areas of the paper and packaging sector for the last 25 years.

I’ve been fortunate enough to attend PPRC the last three years, and every year I’ve come away with a deeper understanding of an industry that, for the past several years, in particular, is constantly evolving and often confronted with volatile market conditions.

As we emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the sentiment around the industry was apprehensive at best, if not downright dreary, but this year at PPRC, I encountered more optimism than I had previously.

The session that stood out to me was Do We Have a Recovery Problem?, which you can read more about starting on Page S6.

The panelists included moderator Myles Cohen, founder of Atlanta-based consultancy Circular Ventures and board member at Switzerland-based Vipa Group; Anelia Milbrandt, senior research analyst at NREL’s Strategic Energy Analysis Center; Scott Mouw, senior director of strategy and research at The Recycling Partnership, Washington; and Johnny Gold, president of the Gold Group and paper specialist at Davis Index.

When I first met with the panelists to discuss the topic, the answer to the question, “Does the recycling industry have a paper and plastics recovery problem?,” was a unanimous and resounding “Yes.”

But the conversation didn’t stop there.

It was clear this is an issue our panelists are passionate about, and instead of a discussion that focused on all the things the industry has gotten wrong to this point, the conversation quickly turned to potential solutions.

When we finally gathered for the session in Chicago, it was nearly standing room only as attendees gathered to hear from our panel and pitch solutions of their own. There was no finger-pointing, no arguing, simply a group of people who recognize we’re all in this together and that in a circular economy, if one of us succeeds, we all succeed.

In the following supplement, you’ll find coverage from our session on improving recovery as well as insights into the merger and acquisition landscape, updates on markets for bulk grades and high grades and more.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s PPRC a success. We hope you’ll join us next year to continue the conversation on how the paper recycling industry can keep improving. Its success will take all of us.