Pulp and Paper Merit Badge

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The Pulp and Paper Merit Badge is one of the least commonly earned merit badges of the Boy Scouts of America. Only about 3,000 pulp and paper badges were earned in 2005, a number small in contrast to the 49,000 woodcarving merit badges earned that year.[1]. It is one of the few merit badges that focus on a particular business or industry. The requirements were revised effective January 18, 1995, although the changes were relatively minor updates in most cases.

The requirements for this merit badge are largely based on learning about the history, structure, technology, and impact of the paper industry. However, there are some activities that Scouts will have the opportunity to complete, especially making a sheet of paper with materials found in their own homes.

Topics covered in the merit badge include:

  • The history of papermaking
  • The impact of pulp and paper products in our society and economy
  • The pulp and paper industry
  • Fiber sources - Scouts learn how to get fibers from wood and how those fibers are processed to be useful in the production of paper products.
  • How paper is made - Scouts learn about the current commercial production process for making paper, including from recycled sources. Scouts also learn about the technological innovations of coated paper and other kinds of chemically treated papers, such as photographic paper, carbonless copy paper, and cobalt chloride paper.
    • Making paper in your own home
  • Pulp or paper products found in our homes
  • Paper Industry Businesses - Scouts may have the opportunity to visit a business in the pulp or paper industry, such as pulp mills, paper mills, container or box plants, or recycling facilities. Scouts may also learn how companies develop new paper products.

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