“Sappi North America has been part of The Recycling Partnership through the Recycling Works in Publishing,” said Keefe Harrison, CEO of The Recycling Partnership, in a statement. “We are grateful to have them now on board as a direct partner. The work Sappi has done throughout Maine and beyond with co-funding pedestrian recycling bins has been very successful. We look forward to working with their team on generating new ideas and partnerships to improve recycling in cities and towns across the United States.”
Since 2015, The Recycling Partnership has invested more than $27 million in improvements to local and national recycling infrastructure. Sappi North America will join nearly 40 other companies as a funding partner.
“The paper industry has very high recycling rates compared to other materials,” said Laura Thompson PhD, director of sustainable development and global policy initiatives at Sappi North America, in a statement. “Recent statistics show we are recovering over two-thirds of paper in circulation—but that means there are still nearly 20 million tons of paper-based materials that are not being recovered each year. Through efforts such as designing for recyclability to improving infrastructure, access and education, we can further improve our industry’s recycling efforts. We see The Recycling Partnership as a key player in making this goal a reality, and we’re proud to help further its mission.”