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Three Japanese papermakers admit exaggerated claims of recycled content

Tokyo, Japan — Three Japanese paper manufacturers have acknowledged that theyve exaggerated the amount of recycled…

Tokyo, Japan — Three Japanese paper manufacturers have acknowledged that theyve exaggerated the amount of recycled content in their products after the industrys market leaders Oji Paper and Nippon Paper admitted similar falsifications, Japan Today reported.

Kishu Paper, Chuetsu Pulp & Paper, and Tokushu Tokai Holdings were the latest papermakers to make these claims after five others, including Oji and Nippon, made similar admissions in the past week.

Analysts said that the practice of exaggerating the percentage of recycled content is widespread because of the industrys competitive nature to produce high-quality recycled paper products.

In Kishus case, the company exaggerated the claim of recycled content in a wide range of recycled paper products, Japan Today reported. Chuetsu Pulp officials said that 99% of its recycled paper contained a lower percentage of used paper than it claimed. And Tokushu Tokai said that 51.7% of the ratios in its recycled paper products were falsified, as central and local governments were required by law to buy eco-friendly products.