The Japan Paper Association (JPA) was created by major paper companies to promote the development of the Japanese paper and pulp industry. The association conducts the following activities (JPA, 2011a):

• Exchange of ideas and information among its members
• Research on production of paper, paperboard and pulp at home and abroad
• Collection, preparation and presentation of information, data and statistics pertaining to the industry.

JPA highlights the achievements of the Japanese pulp and paper industry and reports, for example, that between 1990 and 2007 the consumption of recovered paper in Japan increased by 4.8 million tons. By 2010, the share of recovered paper in the raw material for the Japanese paper industry had reached 62.5%, which is among the highest figures in the world (JPA, 2011b).

The Japanese Paper Association (JPA) has taken an environmental initiative know as “Committed Action Plan”. Members are committed to reduce their fossil energy consumption/unit and energy-related CO2 emissions per unit over 5 years from 2008 to 2012 by an average 20% and 16%, respectively, based on the level of 1990. This will involve the following activities (JPA, 2011c):

• Introducing energy-saving equipment and system.
• Improving energy efficiency by promoting the introduction of a combined heat and power and by decreasing and recovering waste energy.
• Promoting the utilization of fossil energy substitutes such as waste wood and waste paper and plastic fuel.
• Promoting the efficient use of combustible waste including paper sludge and recovered paper pulp residue.
• Enhancing the research and development of energy saving technologies.