The development of the Kadant Autolab pilot plant is one of many paper and board recycling programmes and initiatives being introduced by paper and paper packaging sector responsibility organisation Fibre Circle.

The in-house recyclability laboratory offers benchtop recyclability assessments and advanced research opportunities.

A combined effort of engineered systems developer Kadant Fiber Processing and Fibre Circle, the autolab uses a rotor and screen design to simulate full-scale mill conditions.

Its core purpose is to test the disintegration of advanced paper, packaging and challenging materials, and will be used for research and development to test fibre recyclability, including wet strength, laminates and coatings.

The recyclability lab is essential to confirming the recyclability of new paper and paper packaging in the local market.

“This is a continued focal point we have observed from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), with a short-term focus to implement the laboratory and garner the required certifications,” says Fibre Circle programme and strategy enablement manager Jandri de la Rey.

He adds that once the certifications have been granted, Fibre Circle will continue its market mapping initiative to define a clear South African recyclability standard for paper and paper packaging.

Further, in the long term, the laboratory will have the capacity to inform design for recyclability rules and guidelines for the industry.

Other Initiatives

The Fibre Circle liquid board packaging (LBP) campaign – focusing on awareness and collection promotion – will be launched this month.

The campaign’s core objective is to drive the collection of LBP across South Africa and increase the collection volumes by up to 4 000 t/y.

De la Rey explains the short-term focus of the LBP campaign is on creating buy-back centre awareness regarding the value of used beverage cartons, facilitating quality requirements and route-to-market opportunities.

In the long term, the campaign will significantly increase the volume of LBP diverted to recycling mills and fully use the recycling capacity in the country.

“Another pilot we are working on is our refuse-derived fuel (RDF) pilot project, which focuses on including difficult-to-recycle wastepaper as potential feedstock for RDF for cement kilns,” de la Rey adds.

The objective is to develop a high-capacity offtake for difficult-to-recycle wastepaper with good commercial value to support collection costs.

The interim focus of the RDF pilot is to get difficult-to-recycle materials, such as nonrecyclable potato and cement sacks, and multi-layered packaging – such as cupstock, freezer board and label backing paper – approved as feedstocks for RDF.

“The pilot’s end-goal is to create a commercialised wastepaper grade that can be traded for use as RDF, with a volume target across all categories of up to 12 000 t/y,” explains De la Rey adding that the objectives may expand, depending on technical and commercial feasibility.

De la Rey says the collection and diversion initiatives are in the early stages and will be rolled out during 2026. The RDF pilot is planned for the second quarter of this year, with potential commercialisation towards the end of this year.

Working Together

The DFFE offers support to producer responsibility organisations through the auditing and investigation of noncompliant members and suspected free-riding companies that have not registered.

“This is an important matter to ensure that the pool of fees is maximised and can effectively target all materials using their respective Extended Producer Responsibility funding, as well as a level playing field among all companies,” posits De la Ray.

Fibre Circle further relies on provincial and local government departments and municipalities to ensure that its work aligns with broader waste management plans and policies.

Many of the solutions that have been developed over the past four years require active government participation, additional funding from waste generators and support with sorting at source – which includes cleaning and baling of the wastepaper – to streamline and support logistics costs.

The company encourages all companies and employees to actively participate in initiatives such as label-backing paper, as well as cement sack and potato sack recycling.

“Fibre Circle continues to call upon the industry to collaborate on solutions for diverting more material from landfill,” concludes De la Rey.