Hot Topics
Recycled paper board is an important component of an environmentally responsible and sustainable future that can and should be used in a wide number of applications. Here you will be able to keep up with the most pressing issues related to the RPTA and recycled paperboard.
Mineral Oil
Currently, mineral oil in recycled paperboard food packaging has been identified by some researchers as a concern. The safety of recycled paperboard food packaging is of the utmost priority to the paperboard industry. Our packaging complies with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations for safe food packaging which establish the levels of suitable purity applicable to food packaging applications in the United States.
Read more here about RPTA and Mineral Oil:
- RPTA Mineral Oil Issue Paper
- Statement on U.K. Food Standards Agency Testing, December 15, 2011
- Critical Analysis of Recent European Publications on Mineral Oil
- UK Food Standards Agency
- FDA's comments on mineral oil in Food Chemical News, March 18, 2011
- North American Response to Draft German Regulation of Mineral Oil in Recycled Paperboard, submitted on behalf of the industry by Graphic Packaging International, submitted June 25, 2013
The Comprehensive Program for Food Contact Paperboard
Over a decade ago, members of the Recycled Paperboard Technical Association developed a comprehensive program to ensure that recycled paperboard can be safely used in food packaging in full compliance with U.S. legal and scientific standards. This program includes regular, ongoing testing that looks for a broad range of potential impurities. It also requires implementation of Good Manufacturing Practices and careful sourcing of recovered fiber to enable manufacturers to assure recycled paperboard is suitably pure.
Read more about the RPTA Comprehensive Program.
LATEST NEWS
Industry Benchmarking Survey
The 2025 Profile Study reports were distributed on September 1. Samples from 51 paper machines, collected during the first quarter of 2025, were blind-coded before testing and reporting.
The 2025 Profile Study reports and all past Survey reports can be accessed at this member-only page. In addition, each member company that participated in the Study received company-specific Excel workbooks that provide all Study data with their paper machines identified.
2025 Production-Technical Seminar
On May 5 and 6, 2025, we held our annual production-technical seminar. For the first time, our seminar content was embedded into TAPPICon, instead of being co-located with it. RPTA members attending provided positive feedback regarding the new format.
In addition to technical presentations, RPTA members had the opportunity to network with other members at our RPTA Lunch, Roundtable Breakfast, and Networking Room.
RPTA members can access the RPTA presentations at this member-only site.
Summer Webinar
On July 16th, we held a panel webinar - "Mill to Meaning: Career Stories in Recycled Paper": A diverse and experienced panel shared their career paths, insights, lessons learned, and inspirations. A recording of the webinar is available at this member-only webpage.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Fall Roundtable
Our Fall Roundtable will be held on October 15 & 16, in Brookfield, WI. We will hold a seminar on refining, followed the next day with tours of Valmet’s refiner foundry (in Waukesha, WI) and Greif’s Milwaukee, WI paperboard mill.
The Roundtable is free for our RPTA members, that is, for all employees of our RPTA member companies. Click here to register for Roundtable.
Plans for other Educational Events
Based on input from our members, the RPTA Operating Board is developing educational events on Waste Reduction; Coating Formulation and Application; Environmental; and Stickies Mitigation, to be held over the next year. Stay tuned for dates, times, and locations.