What is EN 643?

BS EN 643 is the UK version of the European Standard EN 643, which defines grades and combinations of acceptable types of recovered fibre.

It has been adopted by the Standards bodies in all EU member states, in the UK this is The British Standards Institute (BSI)

The Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) endorse the standard in support of the European commissions policy on recycling.

Quality

Many in the reprocessing industry suggest that more is less. As collection volumes increase so the quality of the material deteriorates and the lower standard of overseas markets exacerbates the issue. Collectors/suppliers feel that standards are the same but that increased volumes give greater choice and a greater opportunity for buyers to be more discerning.

As a solution the paper sector is developing this benchmark quality standard (EN643) as a method to identify, measure and verify/validate any quality disputes, which it also hopes will help lift recovered paper out of waste legislation.