As you may have recently seen, Simon Ellin, the Recycling Association’s Chief Executive has recently raised concerns over lack of fibre to make cardboard boxes as many councils across the UK suspend their recycling facilities due to Covid-19. Cardboard has recently seen a spike in demand in light of the recent government lockdown, making it a key product in the supply chain for food and pharmaceuticals.
DS Smith‘s Head of Recycling, Jochen Behr, has reacted to this warning, making clear that while DS Smith are currently not seeing a disruption, it is important that the supply chain works together to keep materials moving at this crucial time.
“DS Smith is not currently experiencing any significant disruption to its recycling and paper-making operations following the outbreak of the coronavirus. We have robust plans in place to deal with an escalation of this issue and will continue to keep our people and customers informed of any developments,” explains Behr. “We operate the largest mill for recycled papers in the UK in Kemsley, Kent and we continue to see strong supply from the retail sector. In particular, we are seeing a spike in material delivered from the grocery retail sector, driven by increased consumer demand during this crisis. Going forward, we are planning for a decline in material coming directly from certain manufacturing sectors, but we expect this to be offset by the retailers.”
He continues, “We are working closely with local authorities and encouraging them to maintain collections to support the supply of essential raw materials which underpins the critical work of the paper and packaging industry in keeping essential goods moving. We are not, at this stage, being impacted by a decline in collections, but we are monitoring the situation closely with both customers and industry bodies.”
He concludes, “As one of the largest recyclers in Europe, DS Smith manages over 5.5 million tonnes of paper for recycling every year and we are well positioned to draw on our Europe-wide infrastructure to ensure there is no cardboard shortage where it is needed most.”
