'Paper Resources' Not 'Waste'... Paper Industry Changes Terminology

Korean Paper Association Decides 'Paper Term Re-Revision Committee' Through 'Paper Replacement Term Contest'

The term '폐지' is no longer used; instead, the new term '종이자원' is used.
[Photo by Asia Economy DB]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] "Now, it should be called 'paper resource' instead of 'waste paper.'"

The term "waste paper," which means "discarded paper," has been abolished. Instead, a future-oriented term "paper resource" should be used.

The Korea Paper Association announced on the 20th that after seeking a new term that overcomes the linguistic limitations of "waste paper," the main raw material for various types of paper, and that allows the public to easily understand it as a recyclable and eco-friendly resource, they decided to use "paper resource."

The paper industry has been operating the "Waste Paper Terminology Revision Committee," chaired by Professor Lee Hak-rae of Seoul National University, with experts from related industries, academia, and the National Institute of the Korean Language as members. In May, they held a "Waste Paper Alternative Term Contest" to gather diverse opinions internally and externally. Based on the results, on the 19th, they finally decided on "paper resource" as the new term to replace waste paper, scoring highly in suitability, meaning, future orientation, and non-Chinese character terminology.

The term "waste paper" was once revised in 1985 when it replaced the Japanese term "koji," which had no recycling concept at the time. However, since nearly 90% is recycled today, the term "waste paper," which referred to "discarded paper" back then, was judged to no longer reflect the current situation, prompting a re-revision.

Trend of 'Paper Recovery Rate' Aggregated in the Korea Paper Association Production Report. [Graph=Korea Paper Association]

Korea is the 7th largest paper-producing country in the world, producing 11.6 million tons of paper last year, of which recycled paper using "paper resource" as the main raw material accounts for 80% of total production.

A representative of the Paper Association said, "The paper industry will carry out multifaceted activities to expand the use of the term 'paper resource,'" adding, "We will actively encourage voluntary replacement of the existing term in internal documents, contracts, etc., from the paper, raw materials, and related industries, and also actively promote this externally to the government and media."