News

NY, UT and NJ are Working on Permanent Paper Laws

Groups in other states besides New York, Utah and New Jersey may be actively working to get permanent paper laws passed, but no news is available about them. New York was pretty far along at last word, and New Jersey and Utah are just getting started.

No organization is keeping an official tally of state laws, but Robert Frase and the Abbey Publications office both sometimes receive news of laws, resolutions, and regulations, and keep track of the ones they know about. Robert Frase's telephone/ fax number is 703/532-8239. At the Abbey Publications office, file copies of state laws that have been sent in have just been put in order. They include

    AZ  MA  NC
    CO  MN  TN
    CT  MT  VT
    IN  NE  VA

States that have appeared in other lists are FL, NY, RI, and SD, but some of those listings may be premature.

Anyone working on a law for use of alkaline or permanent paper will find the material in the 1995 edition of North American Permanent Papers useful. It includes not only a list of papers, but basic information on alkalinity, permanence, recycled paper, research, testing and other concepts that are needed for a) explaining the issue to legislators, and b) writing the law for them, if necessary. It can be purchased from the Abbey Publications office. If necessary, parts of it can be faxed without charge.

Minerals Technologies to Build PCC Plants in Israel, Brazil & Southeast Asia; Plants Exist in Poland & Portugal

Minerals Technologies Inc. (MTI), has signed a contract with American Israeli Paper Mills Ltd., in Hadera, Israel, for the installation of a precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) satellite plant by the first quarter of 1996. American Israeli Paper Mills has been making alkaline paper for many years, with carbonate filler to very high levels.

Specialty Minerals do Brazil, a subsidiary of Minerals Technologies, has found a supplier of lime for the two PCC plants it is installing for paper mills in Luiz Antonio and Jacarei. Phillips' International Paper Directory for 1993 does not show any mill in Jacarei, but in Luiz Antonio there is a mill that belongs to a company called Votorantim de Celulose e Papel that makes uncoated printing paper and writings. It may also own the Jacarei mill. Its fax number is 016 65 12 531. PIMA Sep 95 p. 18

An MTI press release mentions or identifies three more PCC plants that will be built or already exist. It says that MTI signed a contract to build a PCC plant for a mill in Southeast Asia, but does not identify the mill. A large satellite facility at an unidentified mill in Poland began operation in the third quarter. And an expansion of a previously unidentified satellite plant has been completed; it serves Soporcel--Sociedade Portuguesa de Celulose, S.A. in Figueira da Foz, Portugal.

Waste Paper Stolen from Curbside

Recycling contractors and cities are losing money because waste paper fetches such a high price on the black market that stealing trash from the curbside has become lucrative. The July Recycled Paper News reports thousands of dollars in lost revenue for Washington, DC, and lessened profits for recycling companies as a result of theft of old newspapers from affluent neighborhood streets.

A recent news item on TV showed that the problem is more general: the thieves have gone beyond old newspapers and are now taking plastic containers, cans and other recyclables. Many cities are affected.

ISO Certifications

Monadnock Paper Mills, in Bennington, NH, received ISO 9001 certification, and Simpson Plainwell Paper Co. in Plainwell, MI, received ISO 9002 certification. Oc TJ, p. 28

Pulp Prices, Supply and Demand

Between 1989 and the end of 1993, the price of northern bleached softwood kraft pulp fell to less than half its former value, and two years after that, it almost tripled. Richard Cockram, in the August 1995 Papermaker, says these fluctuations cannot be explained by fluctuations in demand, because demand grew 3% during each of those years. His article, "Why are Prices so Volatile," discusses the world economy, paper inventories, capacity increases, world supply of groundwood and nonwood pulps, the wood shortage in Russia, and other hard-to-quantify factors. The usual economic indexes for the paper industry do not predict very accurately, he says, because they were chosen for ease of compilation rather than accuracy of prediction.

The editor of PIMA Magazine muses in the July issue about high fiber prices and low supply, saying that recycled pulp today costs far more to produce than virgin pulp, and that fiber shortages are appearing. Demand for wastepaper will remain high, and world demand for fiber is starting a new rise that is expected to be meteoric, especially in Asia. We should consider using more unconventional fiber sources, e.g. hybrid poplar, and think about importing pulp, e.g. eucalyptus pulp from Mexico.

Opposite points of view are expressed about this issue in two articles in the September Pulp & Paper. Robert Hagler, president of Wood Resources International Ltd., says in a feature article that the world is entering an environment of relative fiber scarcity, which does not mean that the world is running out of trees, but "the edge of the forest can be seen." In some regions, he says, especially in North America, it will be necessary to downsize primary manufacturing capacity.

The second article, "North America Remains Strong as Market Pulp Producer, Consumer," is by Allen Whitman, who points to recent healthy growth in production of deinked, hardwood and CTMP pulp, and is generally optimistic.

New Telephone Numbers for TAPPI & Pira

The area code for TAPPI has been changed from 404 to 770. The rest of the telephone and fax numbers remains the same, and the 800 number is unaffected.

Pira International's phone and fax numbers changed in September, and they now have voice mail. The main switchboard telephone line is 44 1372 802000, and the main fax line is 44 1372 802238. The fax number at the library information center (for ordering photocopies of papers) is 44 1372 360104.

James River/Crown Vantage Spinoff Completed

Crown Vantage began operating as an independent company August 28, following the spinoff of its mills and product lines from James River Corp. It includes most of the former Communication Papers Business and the paper-based packaging assets of James River, totalling 11 mills in the U.S. and Scotland. The papers will keep their names, and phone numbers will be unchanged, but headquarters are now on the west coast, in Oakland, California. Katie Cutler heads Corporate Communications.

Six of those 11 mills are in the U.S. and make printing and writing papers. They are in Newark, DE; St. Francisville, LA; Adams, MA; Parchment, MI; Ypsilanti, MI; and Goreham, NH. Although few if any of the six mills are 100% alkaline, the new company makes 22 papers that meet the requirements of ANSI/ NISO Z39.48 - 1994.

Stora will sell Newton Falls Mill to Appleton Papers

Stora AB, the Swedish company that bought Newton Falls a few years back, plans to sell it to Appleton Papers Inc., a subsidiary of Arjo Wiggins Appleton plc. Appleton is the world's leading producer of carbonless paper and the leading North American producer of thermal paper. At least some of their production is alkaline. The Stora mill, which is alkaline, will enable Appleton to make 320,000 tons of coated freesheet annually. P&P Aug 95 p17

A Paper Industry Newsgroup on the Internet

Judging by the nearly-simultaneous and very favorable announcements in three paper industry journals, papermakers have been very enthusiastic about a recently established newsgroup on the Internet. It was set up in May or June (sources differ). The announcements do not say who set it up, but its name is misc.industry.pulp-and-paper. Everett J. Harriman, in a letter to the editor of Tappi Journal, says it does not have an official tie to any of the professional associations of the industry. He gives an email address to which questions about the newsgroup may be addressed: bc622@scn.org.

The newsgroup is accessed by connecting to the Internet, going to the Newsgroup section (sometimes called Usenet), and subscribing to misc.industry.pulp-and-paper.

A newsgroup is like a bulletin board, because individuals can post questions or comments for others to read. Postings are listed by the Internet provider by date or topic, so that the viewer does not have to do a random search for relevant material. Among the discussions that have taken place so far are several on paper prices, involving producers, distributors and consumers,. Several have involved questions on recycled paper quality and product specifications. Yolanda Ruzicka, who submitted the announcement that ran in TAPPI Journal, asks, "Where else can someone request information and receive assistance within days from researchers, papermakers, consultants and suppliers?... With formalities removed, and a general sense of helpfulness, the Internet creates a camaraderie among its users." For more information, contact her at 404/371-7975.

TAPPI also has a site on the World Wide Web: http://www.tappi.org.