Quality of raw materials

A focus on high-quality fiber.

Ensuring the quality of raw materials in recycling

High quality recycled and virgin fibers fuel the DS Smith Group’s paper-making and packaging production processes, and DS Smith North America Recycling division’s mission is to provide a consistent source of high-quality paper and cardboard to our paper mills. 

A high quality of raw material ensures that what we collect for recycling can actually be recycled. That means we can waste less, and work towards our circular economy aspirations.

We’ve brought an 8-step inspection process to North America that we use across our network of UK recycling facilities, to ensure that we only send the highest possible quality of paper for recycling on to paper mills. Watch our video below to find out more about our quality management process.

Closing the loop through quality control

Poor raw material quality can result in higher contamination – leading to recycle-bound material ending up incinerated or landfilled.

Paper can become contaminated by any non-fiber material, from food to plastics, so we work with our customers to segregate their recycling, drive down contamination, increase potential revenue and boost their recycling rates.