What is recycled kraft paper, and how is it being manufactured?

Publish Date: 26 Mar 2025

While using your paper in household activities or receiving it through packing, have you ever thought about its manufacturing or what kind of paper we are using? With every advancement in technology, we are getting more exposure to climate change. We have to think about eco-friendly solutions to offer more care towards our environment. That’s why we, as a leading recycled kraft paper manufacturer, provide eco-friendly and high-quality kraft papers to our clients to meet their needs with a good approach.

From arts and crafts to packaging items, Kraft paper is used in a variety of everyday tasks and even for cleaning. As per the report of 2023-24, India is the fastest-growing paper market in the world at 8.2%. The market growth typically depends on increasing demand for better quality packaging paper for FMCG products, pharmaceuticals, textiles, e-commerce and healthcare. To address the demand for paper, we are providing superior quality recycled kraft paper at NikitaPapers with minimum impact on our earth.

What is recycled kraft paper?

Kraft paper is a type of paper made from pulp using the kraft process. In this process, virgin pulp or natural wood fibre is used. With a higher sulphur ratio, manufacturers keep the fibres strong and prevent the degradation of cellulose. Unbleached kraft paper comes in dark brown, which is 100% eco-friendly.

To minimise the impact of papermaking on the environment, we recycle the papers to manufacture recycled kraft paper. Before the fibres become weak and too short to be used again, we can recycle up to 5 to 7 times.

Paper Recycling Process

From copy papers to newspapers or notebooks to phone books, there are certain types of paper we can recycle at paper mills. Let’s understand the process of our high-quality Kraft paper that is recycled step by step:

Step 1: Collection

The process begins with collecting discarded paper and sending them to mills. By segregation of waste paper from other waste products, we prevent contaminated paper from going into recycling facilities.

Step 2: Transportation and Sorting

Once the paper is kept in the proper bin, it will be collected and transported to a materials recovery facility (MRF). Here, the paper is measured and sorted into different categories so they can be treated differently as per their types.

Step 3: Shredding and Pulping

After sorting, paper is sent to a paper mill and shredded down into small scraps. We further break down the paper into separate paper fibres using large amounts of water and chemicals such as sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate, and hydrogen peroxide. As a result, we find a mushy concoction as pulp -the raw material for making recycled paper.

While this pulp to next step, it is screened for larger contaminants like paperclips, staples, and tape, and removed simultaneously.

Step 4: De-Inking and Drying

At this stage, there are no large contaminants on the pulp and it is ready for de-inking. We put pulp into a large floatation tank with more chemicals and air bubbles. Here, the chemicals and air bubbles remove dyes and inks from the pulp. With this, we can enhance the purity and whiteness of the pulp.

Now, we have approx. 99 per cent water to one per cent fibre at this point and ready to transfer to the paper machine.

As a final step of this process, de-inked pulp is ready for drying. With massive rollers, we squeeze out excess water and pass the pulp through heated rollers to form long rolls of continuous sheets of paper.

Once we are done with everything, we share our sheets with our clients to make the products of these recycled kraft paper according to their requirements.