applications, including bespoke materials made from specific fibre blends designed to meet unique colour or functional requirements. Innovations from the company include Rydal Apparel, a premium paper made from upcycled denim fibres. Speaking about Rydal Apparel, Barber says: “Recycled materials have advanced to the point where they are viable for a much wider range of applications. A few years ago, it was unthinkable that a sheet of uncoated paper made with recycled fibres could perform like a coated material. Today, innovations like Rydal Eco have made that a reality.” The company’s mix of sources, which are dubbed FibreBlend, includes fibres from recycled clothing, office waste, and used coffee cups, alongside virgin fibres, waste from its mill, and off-cuts from industry partners. Speaking about James Cropper’s approach to paper production, Barber says: “We use six sources of fibre in varying combinations, each one imbuing paper with subtly different qualities that make it suitable for different applications – office waste, for example, tends to contain brightening agents that mean it creates brilliant white paper for use in printing and stationery applications. “These materials can be used in a variety of applications ranging from packaging cartons to art, publishing, stationery, corrugate, retail bags, and more. Looking more broadly, James Cropper materials are used in industries as diverse as healthcare, aerospace, and electronics. We often say you’re never more than six feet away from a James Cropper product, because we make a material difference to so many industries.” Barber stresses that its customers are looking for sustainable, British-made products to reduce the environmental impact of their supply chains. “We are the UK’s only remaining manufacturer of speciality-coloured papers,” he comments, “so in that sense our entire portfolio of coloured material, and the services offered by our colour lab, deliver on this demand perfectly.” The company offers over 2,000 individual colour shades on-site, including 184 blacks and 62 whites. James Cropper’s unique ‘dyed-in-the-fibre’ process is used to penetrate paper fibres with the aim of producing exceptional depth, vibrancy, and accuracy to each sheet of coloured material. Barber asserts that: “This variety gives us nearly unlimited options for creating materials with different textures, thicknesses, colours, and finishes.” He adds: “Previously, end markets for recycled materials were much more limited, but today they include luxury packaging, publishing, stationery, and many other high-end applications. As a result, this has supported businesses in mini- ▲ James Cropper offers a range of fibre blends for unique functional requirements Speciality papers are facilitators of sustainable change, and we expect to see the pace of that change continue to increase in the coming years 80 email: editor@printmonthly.co.uk September / October 2025 - Issue 356 SPECIALITY PAPERS | JONATHAN PERT
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