The damaging discovery claimed the scalp of Nippon Paper's president and caused customers to withdraw business from firms tainted by the charges.
John Sanderson, director of UPM's Regional Environmental Affairs UK Marketing Sales Services group, told printweek.com: "It is absolutely critical that the market can rely on any claims made about the environmental credentials of paper and paper products.
"Environmentally preferable paper should only be differentiated from standard products through the use of auditable and preferably verified information and data."
The Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) has backed the figures it publishes on levels of recycling within the UK.
"CPI data is robust and is, in general, in line with independently collected and audited government data, such as the Packaging Waste Regulations Declarations," a spokesperson told printweek.com.
"There is no shortage of recovered fibre in the UK market – indeed, over 50% is currently exported – and as such, UK mills have no reason to overstate the percentage of recovered fibres their product contains."
Sanderson said there is a range of auditable and verifiable tools and standards to reliably measure levels of recycled content and sustainability. He gave examples such as product-related standards ISO 14001 and EMAS, as well as raw material-related certifications such as FSC and PEFC.
UK paper responds to Japanese recycled content scandal
The UK paper industry has stood by its environmental reputation in the wake of Japanese paper manufacturers admitting to publishing misleading figures on the levels of recycled material in their products.
