CEPI's fourth Sustainability Report, which was released last week, hailed the "impressive performance of the industry and said that, despite the recession, paper manufacturers are delivering on their targets".

Teresa Oresas, CEPI managing director, said: "We are committed to this process. We will continue to work to adapt and respond to the challenges that face us while our products are produced sustainably to the benefit of society.

"The pulp and paper industry is an enabler actively helping the EU to realise its climate change goals, thereby contributing enthusiastically towards sustainability, and this report shows tangible examples of how that works in practice."

The report said that paper was the only industrial sector to reduce emissions under the EU Emissions Trading System in 2008 against 2007 levels.

It claimed that the industry had increased its recycling rate to 66.6%, higher than the target set for 2010; produced 94.3% of its total on-site energy production through the more environmentally friendly method of combined heat and power (CHP); and increased its biomass-based energy usage to 54.4%, a 1.5% increase on 2007.

The report will add weight to the National Association of Paper Merchants' (NAPM) Two Sides campaign, which aims to alter public misconceptions on the environmental impact of paper.

CEPI is a Brussels-based not-for-profit organisation that represents around 800 companies in the European pulp and paper industries.