Day 062 - 06 Dec 94 - Page 18
1 was made in 1991. I do not exactly remember the month.
2
3 Q. Never mind. It says here that the minimum recycled content
4 has got to be 50 per cent?
5 A. Yes.
6
7 Q. Has that changed since 1992 or is it the same?
8 A. No, we started at 35. We then moved on to 50 per cent
9 which is barely the status at this time, and that has
10 remained the requirement, has remained there, because even
11 though the actual percentage has far over, far surpassed
12 that, the requirement has stayed at 50 per cent because of
13 reasons of strength where it was difficult to pull one
14 straight line for all suppliers where some have much
15 heavier cases, so, therefore, much larger strength
16 requirements than other suppliers.
17
18 Q. Then can we look at the tables? I am principally
19 interested in the second table, "Recycled Material used in
20 1991" and, in particular, in the various carry-out bags
21 that are listed as the first five things in the table.
22 There is an A which has 80 per cent recycled material, then
23 there are two kinds of B, one with 60 per cent and one with
24 80 per cent, and two kinds of C, also 60 and 80 per cent.
25 Can I ask you, what are the reasons for those variations?
26 A. OK. A, B and C are the different types of bags that
27 are being used within the McDonald's system; A bag being a
28 small bag, B a larger one and C a still somewhat larger
29 one. The differences in percentages is that we switched at
30 that time from 60 to 80 per cent recycled material.
31
32 Q. I see -- some time during 1991?
33 A. Sometime during 1991.
34
35 Q. What is the position at the moment with carry-out bags in
36 Europe?
37 A. In the UK we are currently at a minimum requirement of
38 80 per cent recycled content.
39
40 Q. How does that work out in practice?
41 A. In practice, it is in general somewhat higher. It can
42 be up to 100 per cent. That depends a little bit on the
43 recycled material, the quality of the paper that the paper
44 supplier can buy at that point in time. If he has got very
45 good paper with high quality characteristics, he can put in
46 obviously a higher percentage recycled, but he can only
47 guarantee 80 per cent because sometimes he cannot buy all
48 the perfect quality that is available. So, sometimes he
49 has to put in some virgin paper, virgin pulp.
50
51 Q. I know to you, Mr. Van Erp, this is probably blindingly
52 obvious, but what happens to paper as it goes through the
53 recycling chain, as it were? Can I put it this way: Is
54 there a difference in the length of fibre between virgin
55 paper and recycled paper?
56 A. Yes, there is. The process of recycling cuts paper
57 fibres down, basically, and so in the process of recycling
58 paper fibres tend to get shorter and shorter and,
59 therefore, lose part of their strength characteristics.
60
