bvse: Paper manufacturer James Cropper turns used jeans into paper for packaging

Rydal Apparel is made from 20% used denim fibres and 80% recycled fibres from sources such as used coffee cups. This makes the paper not only 100% recycled, but also globally recyclable. Because it is a cellulose-based product, cotton-based paper can be recycled in normal waste streams, giving the fibre not only a second life but also a potential third and fourth life, according to the website of the English paper manufacturing company based in Burneside, Kendal, Cumbria, England.

The launch of Rydal Apparel is the latest innovation to use James Cropper's FibreBlend Upcycled Technology. Another area of activity for the manufacturer is CupCycling, "the world's first technology to recycle used coffee cups, which has so far given new life to more than 150 million cups as high-quality paper for packaging," the company says.

"The Rydal Apparel range is all about giving forgotten fashion a new lease of life. Cotton is the purest form of natural cellulose and is a renewable resource that is often used in paper making for its durability properties. The use of cotton in paper dates back to Shakespeare's first work, which still exists today because it was written on paper made from cotton fibres. "Cotton fibres are strong yet soft and make beautiful paper. Although modern papermaking relies heavily on wood fibre pulp, we are reviving the use of cotton fibres in our portfolio as part of our ongoing commitment to fibre innovation and creating value from waste," explains Kate Gilpin, packaging project manager at James Cropper.

Rydal Apparel is launching a 350gsm and 220gsm paper in Denim White, perfect for small boxes, clothing tags, gift cards and retail carrier bags. The colour is an icy white with a very subtle blue tint created by the visible denim fibres in the paper for a unique finish.

The pulp used in the production of Rydal Apparel paper is obtained through a relatively new technology that allows cotton to be turned into pulp. This process offers the possibility of producing fibres of equal or higher quality with the properties required for high quality packaging paper.