{"id":8562,"date":"2025-03-26T08:30:15","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T05:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/?p=8562"},"modified":"2025-06-12T12:23:45","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T09:23:45","slug":"growth-challenges-europe-s-pulp-and-paper-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/growth-challenges-europe-s-pulp-and-paper-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Growth and Challenges in Europe\u2019s Pulp and Paper Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The European pulp and paper industry is rebounding, with both consumption and production rising in the past year. Recycling and packaging demand have driven growth, while exports remain strong. However, energy costs, economic stagnation, and shifting trade policies pose challenges.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/growth-challenges-europe-s-pulp-and-paper-industry\/#Recovery_in_Consumption_and_Production\" >Recovery in Consumption and Production<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/growth-challenges-europe-s-pulp-and-paper-industry\/#Recycling_and_Packaging_Demand\" >Recycling and Packaging Demand<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/growth-challenges-europe-s-pulp-and-paper-industry\/#Energy_Costs_and_Economic_Challenges\" >Energy Costs and Economic Challenges<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/growth-challenges-europe-s-pulp-and-paper-industry\/#Export_Growth_and_Trade_Uncertainty\" >Export Growth and Trade Uncertainty<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/growth-challenges-europe-s-pulp-and-paper-industry\/#Outlook_for_the_Industry\" >Outlook for the Industry<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Recovery_in_Consumption_and_Production\"><\/span><strong>Recovery in Consumption and Production<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to a recent industry <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cepi.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FINAL-Cepi-Preliminary-Statistics-2024.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">report<\/a> by the European association representing the paper industry, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cepi.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cepi<\/a>, after two years of decline, paper and board consumption rose by <strong>7.5 %, <\/strong>while production increased by <strong>5.2 %<\/strong>. However, these increases follow a sharp drop of <strong>13 % <\/strong>in 2023, meaning production levels are still below pre-pandemic figures. On a global scale, paper and board production also showed signs of recovery, with Europe slightly <strong>outperforming<\/strong> its competitors.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Recycling_and_Packaging_Demand\"><\/span><strong>Recycling and Packaging Demand<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Additionally, the use of Paper for Recycling (PfR) increased by <strong>4.1 %<\/strong> in 2024 after also suffering two years of decline. While it remains <strong>below its 2021 peak<\/strong>, it is still significantly higher than early 2000s levels, with an <strong>overall increase of 5 million tons<\/strong> despite previous downturns in consumption and production.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Packaging played a major role in driving the industry\u2019s recycling performance<\/strong>. The sector now accounts for <strong>63 %<\/strong> of total paper and board production, with a <strong>6.5 %<\/strong> rise in the production of recycled packaging grades since 2023.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Other segments also saw growth, as the demand for tissue paper rebounded with a <strong>5.8 %<\/strong> increase, while graphic paper\u2014including newsprint, printing, and writing paper\u2014expanded for the first time since 2010, rising by <strong>5.2 %<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-8553\" src=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/vecteezy_paper-rolls-moving-on-conveyor-belt-in-modern-factory_55282173-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Large paper rolls being transported on a conveyor belt inside a paper mill, showcasing modern industrial manufacturing processes - The European pulp and paper industry is rebounding, with both consumption and production rising in the past year. Recycling and packaging demand have driven growth, while exports remain strong. However, energy costs, economic stagnation, and shifting trade policies pose challenges. Recovery in Consumption and Production According to a recent industry report by the European association representing the paper industry, Cepi, after two years of decline, paper and board consumption rose by 7.5 %, while production increased by 5.2 %. However, these increases follow a sharp drop of 13 % in 2023, meaning production levels are still below pre-pandemic figures. On a global scale, paper and board production also showed signs of recovery, with Europe slightly outperforming its competitors. Recycling and Packaging Demand Additionally, the use of Paper for Recycling (PfR) increased by 4.1 % in 2024 after also suffering two years of decline. While it remains below its 2021 peak, it is still significantly higher than early 2000s levels, with an overall increase of 5 million tons despite previous downturns in consumption and production. Packaging played a major role in driving the industry\u2019s recycling performance. The sector now accounts for 63 % of total paper and board production, with a 6.5 % rise in the production of recycled packaging grades since 2023. Other segments also saw growth, as the demand for tissue paper rebounded with a 5.8 % increase, while graphic paper\u2014including newsprint, printing, and writing paper\u2014expanded for the first time since 2010, rising by 5.2 %. Energy Costs and Economic Challenges Despite the previous positive trends, the industry continues to struggle with high energy prices, which remain twice as high as they were before the pandemic. This poses a challenge to the competitiveness of energy-intensive paper grades in the European market. Economic growth in the European Union also fell behind in comparison with other advanced economies, with manufacturing output across all EU sectors still 10 % lower than in 2021. Export Growth and Trade Uncertainty Moreover, exports accounted for 21 % of total paper and board production in 2024, with the sector maintaining a strong trade balance. Notably, shipments to North America rose by 16.8 %. Outlook for the Industry While recent data suggests a positive shift for the European pulp and paper sector, long-term growth depends on policy decisions and market conditions. Industry leaders emphasize the need for supportive EU measures, including affordable energy policies, regulatory simplification, and continued progress toward sustainability goals.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Energy_Costs_and_Economic_Challenges\"><\/span><strong>Energy Costs and Economic Challenges<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite the previous positive trends, the industry continues to struggle with <strong>high energy prices<\/strong>, which remain twice as high as they were before the pandemic. This poses a challenge to the competitiveness of energy-intensive paper grades in the European market.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Economic growth in the European Union also fell behind in comparison with other advanced economies, with <strong>manufacturing output<\/strong> <strong>across all EU sectors<\/strong> <strong>still 10 % lower than in 2021<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Export_Growth_and_Trade_Uncertainty\"><\/span><strong>Export Growth and Trade Uncertainty<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Moreover, <strong>exports accounted for 21 % of total paper<\/strong> and board production in 2024, with the sector maintaining a strong trade balance. Notably, shipments to North America rose by <strong>16.8 %.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Outlook_for_the_Industry\"><\/span><strong>Outlook for the Industry<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">While recent data suggests a positive shift for the European pulp and paper sector, long-term growth depends on policy decisions and market conditions. Industry leaders emphasize the need for supportive EU measures, including affordable energy policies, regulatory simplification, and continued progress toward sustainability goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The European pulp and paper industry is rebounding, with both consumption and production rising in the past year. Recycling and packaging demand have driven growth, while exports remain strong. However, energy costs, economic stagnation, and shifting trade policies pose challenges. \u00a0 Recovery in Consumption and Production According to a recent industry report by the European&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","category-industry-trends-reports-en","category-28","category-541","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8562"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8562\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8564,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8562\/revisions\/8564"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}