The Corrugated Packaging Alliance protocol technical team approved IPS testing experts to perform testing protocols outlined in the Voluntary Standard for Repulping and Recycling corrugated board. 


A protocol technical team from the Corrugated Packaging Alliance, Elk Grove Village, Ill., approved testing experts to perform the Integrated Paper Services (IPS) testing protocol outlined in the Voluntary Standard for Repulping and Recycling corrugated fiberboard. The protocol is used to certify the repulpability and recyclability of wax alternatives for corrugated products that have been treated to improve performance in the presence of water and water vapor.

The approval is the result of a recent audit of IPS testing facilities in Appleton, Wis., and those of a subcontractor, the pilot paper machine lab at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. The lab will perform certain parts of the Voluntary Standard testing requirements for IPS testing experts.

IPS testing experts become the fourth laboratory approved to perform the Voluntary Standard protocol. Others are North Carolina State University, Department of Wood & Paper Science, in Raleigh, N.C.; Western Michigan University pilot plant in Kalamazoo, Mich.; and Centre Specialise en Pates et Papiers (CSPP) in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada.

“The addition of a fourth testing lab will help move certifications forward at a time when the use of recyclable wax alternatives is growing dramatically,” says Dwight Schmidt, president of the Fibre Box Association, Elk Grove Village, Ill., and executive director of the Corrugated Packaging Alliance. “A new study shows a 30% increase in the use of these alternatives in 2010. As retailers’ interest and faith in these recyclable alternatives grow, and as more viable solutions are developed, it’s important to ensure that the infrastructure necessary to evaluate them keeps up with demand.”