M-real UK business development manager Keith Livermore said that by recycling 180,000 tonnes of waste paper per year for the magazine and catalogue grade, and the producer's other recycled grades, the firm was helping to reduce pressure on UK landfill sites.

"We would also like to think this offers a solution to those people who are currently using virgin fibre grades, but want to switch to recycled," said Livermore.

He said the aim was that in five years Era Silk would make up at least half of the recycled coated paper market, which he anticipated would grow to around 100,000 tonnes per year by 2010.

Era Silk is produced using 50% genuine waste pulp, with the rest from certified forests. The fibres are recovered from south-east England, processed at M-real's New Thames recycled fibre plant in Kent and coated at its Sittingbourne mill.

The grade has been welcomed by the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which is part way through a study into increasing the use of recycled content magazine papers. WRAP paper product manager David Adams said Era Silk would join the group of recycled content papers that have a minimum of 50% recycled content.

Era Silk is available in sheets in weights from 100-350gsm, and in reels in weights up to 190gsm.