Neil Govan at Quality First Conference 2017

On 5 April 2017, Neil Govan, DS Smith Recycling’s Sales Director, attended the Quality First Conference, discussing the importance of quality in a question and answer session.

Why is quality important to DS Smith?

As the biggest producer of finished paper in the UK, we have a continual need to supply our paper mills with the correct raw materials – the best quality.

The customers for our packaging solutions are looking for high standard, so as the front end of the DS Smith supply engine, we must focus on materials that match our stringent quality standards.

We have to ensure that these raw materials comply with environmental and industry standards, such as EN643. That is the minimum quality that we require.

Poor quality feedstocks damage our paper production plants. A great example of that is collections of paper that are mixed with glass. Any collections which have shards of glass – which can happen in mixed collections – can damage our mill machinery. Clearing blockages which are caused by non-conforming materials makes production less efficient and adds cost into our process.

The same applies to excess plastics. It adds cost into the process – and that’s why we prefer to buy source segregated materials for production.

Lastly, now that we’ve entered the export market directly, we need to ensure that any paper that we export complies with all regulations.

For me, it’s about more than compliance. We want to be the leader, and to ensure that we’re making the best quality of raw material, whether that’s for domestic or export markets.

I personally have a long relationship with the export markets, China in particular, and I think at the moment that we have a big challenge – but I would also say opportunity – to ensure that these markets see us as a top quality supplier of raw material.

If we can ensure that we do always ship the best material possible, it puts the UK at the top of the map in terms of where these customers will buy their material from.

We saw the positive effect that Green Fence had on quality a few years ago, and I have no doubt that the new Operation, National Sword, will continue to see positive effects as well.

What are the quality problems DS Smith faces with the material we receive?

We’ve traditionally sourced a lot of material from the retail and commercial sector, and that’s generally been of good quality. The biggest challenge we face is material that comes from municipal streams, particularly mixed papers.

We see that the quality can vary significantly, especially if it comes through commingled collections.

For me, it’s all about engagement with the public and engagement with the local councils, ensuring that we have that clear message of recycling and that it’s communicated in a clear and consistent manner.

The biggest contaminants we see in the mixed papers are plastic cans and bottles, which generally have a higher value than the paper that’s being collected, and we need to try and eliminate those from the paper streams.

As an industry, I think we can help residents and I think we can help consumers to find it easier and easier to recycle if we keep that message consistent.

How does DS Smith work with suppliers to improve quality?

All prospective suppliers are visited and vetted before we take material into the mill. We will then look to arrange some trial loads going into Kemsley, where loads are checked for quality and for moisture. We will then give feedback to the suppliers.

If the quality doesn’t quite meet the standards that we expect, then we will discuss it further with the suppliers. If needs be, we’ll visit them on-site, talk through their process to understand where the blockages are and what’s happening to the quality, and try to iron out the problems that way.

If, at the end of the day, the quality doesn’t meet the standard then we just won’t buy from that supplier.

The process is the same for us whether we’re buying from a larger retailer or a smaller third-party source, so we can keep a consistent process and a consistent message.

When we work directly with waste producers such as retailers, we engage directly with their waste management processes. For us it’s all about a consistent message. It’s about training, it’s about making sure that we offer recycling guides and tailored communications, so that we don’t only maximise the quantity of the recycling that they produce, but we maximise the quality as well.

Looking at the bigger picture, what do you think would make the biggest single difference to improve quality?

For us, it’s source segregation. DS Smith has always been pretty clear on this message.

If municipal paper fibre was collected separately from other recyclables, it would make a huge difference to the quality.

Source segregation is a message that we’ve championed for a long time, and we’ll continue to do so.

 

 WRAP provided guidance last year, which echoed what we’ve been saying for a number of years, which is: if paper fibre can be accepted by the dregs from cans and bottles when it goes through collection vehicles and sorting systems, no matter how efficient the system, we will still see some bottles and cans in the paper that we receive from materials recycling facilities – which ultimately adds cost into our whole process.

But it is a balance, and we have to make sure that we get that balance between source segregation and ease of use for the public.

Certain parts of the media will like to jump on the fact that some areas have five or six bins for recycling, but we do have to view that against the ‘one bin’ scenario. It’s about getting that balance right.

For me, it’s about the right amount of segregation, versus making sure we don’t overcomplicate recycling for residents.

What does DS Smith think of the Recycling Association Quality First campaign?

It’s another important initiative from the industry to try to improve quality.

DS Smith was part of the Campaign for Real Recycling, which campaigned for better quality recyclate, and we’ve campaigned consistently on this issue.

The Quality First campaign is another important step in the right direction, because you have stakeholders from all parts of the industry who are buying into this, including the export community, the waste management companies, as well as the domestic mills.

For me, for too long, a certain portion of the industry has preached the right message without living up to it. Now, we have the opportunity, the focus, and the support behind this campaign, it’s time to start practising exactly what we preach.

Everything starts with quality. It has to be the first priority.

At the end of the day, as recyclers, we are looking to provide a raw material into a production process. For DS Smith, that’s our papermaking and packaging production.

Like any manufacturer will tell you, if you want to make a great product, you have to start with the best quality of raw materials.

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