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Edition 2026Active Merit Badge
Pulp and Paper
Official Requirements & Fillable Workbook · 2026 Edition
Pulp and Paper follows the journey from timber harvest and recycled fiber to finished paper products. You will explore mechanical and chemical pulping, environmental controls, and paper coatings. Requirement 7 gets your hands messy making your own handmade sheet of paper from raw pulp using a screen mold and deckle.
Key Requirements Covered:
- Wood Chemistry & Pulping Technologies
- Handmade Papermaking from Recycled Fibers
- Paper Testing: Tensile, Tear & Absorbency
- Sustainable Forestry, Recycling & Paper Mills
5Printable Pages
8Requirements
2014Reqs Revised
What is on the worksheet: Pulp and Paper Requirements
Every requirement for the Pulp and Paper merit badge, word for word as published, with room to write under each one on the printed worksheet.
1Tell the history of papermaking
Tell the history of papermaking. Describe the part paper products play in our society and economy.
2The Industry and Its Forests
Learn about the pulp and paper industry.
- a Describe the ways the industry plants, grows, and harvests trees.
- b Explain how the industry manages its forests so that the supply of trees keeps pace with the demand.
- c Tell how the industry has incorporated the concepts of sustainable forest management (SFM).
- d Describe two ways the papermaking industry has addressed pollution.
3Papermaking Trees and Fibers
Name at least four types of trees that are major sources of papermaking fibers. Then do the following:
- a Discuss what other uses are made of the trees and the forestland owned by the pulp and paper industry.
- b Describe two ways of getting fibers from wood, and explain the major differences between them.
- c Tell why some pulps are bleached, and describe the process.
4Describe how paper is made
Describe how paper is made. Discuss how paper is recycled. Make a sheet of paper by hand.
5Coated Paper and Its Uses
Explain what coated paper is and why it is coated. Describe the major uses for different kinds of coated papers. Describe one other way that paper is changed by chemical or mechanical means to make new uses possible.
6Paper Products in Your Home
Make a list of 15 pulp or paper products found in your home. Share examples of 10 such products with your counselor.
7Option Selection
With your parent or guardian's and counselor's approval, do ONE of the following:
- a Visit a pulp mill. Describe how the mill converts wood to cellulose fibers.
- b Visit a paper mill and get a sample of the paper made there. Describe the processes used for making this paper. Tell how it will be used.
- c Visit a container plant or box plant. Describe how the plant's products are made.
- d Visit a recycled paper collection or sorting facility. Describe the operations there.
- e Using books, magazines, your local library, the internet (with your parent or guardian's permission), and any other suitable research tool, find out how paper products are developed. Find out what role research and development play in the papermaking industry. Share what you learned with your counselor.
8Careers
Find out about three career opportunities in the papermaking industry that interest you. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.
Two dates, two different things
Requirements Revision vs. Worksheet Date
Scouting America last revised the Pulp and Paper requirements in 2014. That is the badge, not this sheet — an older year does not mean the worksheet is out of date.
Verbatim Fidelity & Verification
This worksheet was checked against https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/pulp-and-paper/ in Aug 2026 and reproduces the requirements word for word. Both dates are printed on the sheet, so a copy in a binder can always be placed in time.
Requirement text is © Scouting America, reproduced verbatim. The worksheet layout and design are original to this project.
Spotted a discrepancy on this sheet? Tell us and we will re-check it against the official requirements.
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