China tightens national standard for imported recycled pulp

China's revised national standard for recycled pulp took effect on 1 October 2026, banning the use of discarded household or medical paper as feedstock and adding mandatory sterilisation and heavy-metal testing. The rules give customs a technical basis to inspect imports, affecting a market that relies heavily on imported recycled fibre to supply its paper and packaging industry.

Why this mattersTighter sourcing and hygiene rules for recycled pulp entering China could restrict or raise the cost of fibre supply for the world's largest paper and packaging market.

• The revised Recycled Pulp national standard took effect on 1 October 2026.
• The standard bans use of discarded household paper and medical paper as feedstock.
• Only sorted and classified waste paper, board and paper products may be used as raw material.
• New definitions are added for dry-process and wet-process recycled pulp production.
• A sterilisation step is introduced with limits on bacteria, fungi and pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.
• ICP-MS testing is added for heavy-metal detection, alongside a hydraulic-pulping method for contaminant measurement.

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