The term sustainability means taking into account every aspect of the environmental, economic and societal impact of business activities. The European core industry is taking on this challenge and thus taking its responsibility to the environment, business and society very seriously.
The European core industry has been proud of its products for a long time in terms of environmental sustainability, and rightly so. Paper and cardboard, natural materials from recycled paper, are used. The glues used (sodium silicate and starch glue) are also natural products.
There has been a recycling system for paper and cardboard in place for many years. For years, cores have made their way back to the recycling bin.
The following highlights some of these achievements:
- Paper cores are manufactured from paper board using 100% recycled fibres.
- 95% of the tube’s material content is recycled fibres.
- The paper tube is totally recyclable.
- An estimated 70% of all paper tubes are recovered for recycling.
- R & D has greatly improved the reuse of paper tube fibres in making “tube board”.
- Technicians are continuously working towards reducing the environmental impact the paper tube makes within the manufacturing process.
The European core industry also makes important and invaluable contributions to the overall economy, even if its share of the total industrial output is small in Europe. The overwhelming majority of the ca. 150 businesses, many of which are more than 100 years old, are mid-size family-owned companies.
These companies show exceptional societal and social responsibility. The European core industry provides 10,000 people with sustainable jobs and internships throughout Europe. Several hundred young people are trained in various technical and sales jobs. Diverse educational and advanced training programmes offer employees a chance to become more highly qualified.