Hot Topics

Recycled paper board is an important component of an environmentally responsible and sustainable future that can and should be used in a wide number of applications. Here you will be able to keep up with the most pressing issues related to the RPTA and recycled paperboard.
Mineral Oil
Currently, mineral oil in recycled paperboard food packaging has been identified by some researchers as a concern. The safety of recycled paperboard food packaging is of the utmost priority to the paperboard industry. Our packaging complies with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations for safe food packaging which establish the levels of suitable purity applicable to food packaging applications in the United States.
Read more here about RPTA and Mineral Oil:
- RPTA Mineral Oil Issue Paper
- Statement on U.K. Food Standards Agency Testing, December 15, 2011
- Critical Analysis of Recent European Publications on Mineral Oil
- UK Food Standards Agency
- FDA's comments on mineral oil in Food Chemical News, March 18, 2011
- North American Response to Draft German Regulation of Mineral Oil in Recycled Paperboard, submitted on behalf of the industry by Graphic Packaging International, submitted June 25, 2013
The Comprehensive Program for Food Contact Paperboard
Over a decade ago, members of the Recycled Paperboard Technical Association developed a comprehensive program to ensure that recycled paperboard can be safely used in food packaging in full compliance with U.S. legal and scientific standards. This program includes regular, ongoing testing that looks for a broad range of potential impurities. It also requires implementation of Good Manufacturing Practices and careful sourcing of recovered fiber to enable manufacturers to assure recycled paperboard is suitably pure.
Read more about the RPTA Comprehensive Program.

LATEST NEWS
RPTA Scholarship
The Recycled Paperboard Technical Association has established (2) $5,000 scholarship to recognize outstanding students who are interested in the recycled paperboard industry.
To qualify, students must meet the following criteria:
- Earn a 3.25 GPA
- Declare a Paper Engineering or Science major
- Served (or intend to serve) as a cooperative student or intern at a recycled paperboard mill
- Comply with applicable requirements for maintaining paper foundation scholarships of your school
- Comply with applicable scholarship policies of your school
Click here to access the 2023 Scholarship Application form.
ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY March 15, 2023.
For further information please contact: Jackie Howe at (202) 347-9069 or jhowe@rpta.org.
2022 Industry Profile Study
Registration is complete, with 69 paper machines at 48 mills registered. Samples must be received by April 7, 2023, to be included in study.
Members can access reports from prior years at this member-only page.
2022 RPTA Fall Roundtable
On October 19th, we held an in-person seminar on Paper Machine Clothing Design, covering the impact of forming, press and dryer fabrics on paper machine operations. Roundtable presentation slides are available at this member-only page.
Winter Webinar
On January 25, 2023, we held a virtual webinar on Felt Cleaning and Conditioning, covering the mechanical and chemical processes to keep felts operating effectively with optimum felt life. The webinar recording and presentation slides are available at this member-only page.
UPCOMING EVENTS
2023 P-T Seminar (April)
The 2023 Production-Technical Seminar will be held in Atlanta on April 24 and 25, co-located with TAPPICon.
- Safer Operations
- Fiber Recovery Optimization
- Process Data Best Practices
- Wet End Operations
Click here for full RPTA Seminar agenda.
Register @ www.TAPPICon.org
- Register for the P-T Seminar alone or TAPPICon which includes the Seminar.
- Early bird rate ends March 24.
- There are significant mill/company group registration discounts.
- See "Hotel/Travel" on TAPPI page to plan your trip.
YOU ARE INVITED to two free, RPTA member-only special events, not included with registration.
- Member Lunch on April 24
- Roundtable Breakfast on April 25
Click here to attend one or both special events. Deadline to sign up is April 17th.