Global, Chinese Dissolving Pulp Industry Volatile Since 2011

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Global dissolving pulp capacity (pulp with cellulose content above 90%, including wood and bamboo pulp) is concentrated in regions with abundant forest resources such as North America, South Africa, and Brazil. Between 2011 and 2012, China's intensive release of dissolving pulp capacity made it possible to become one of the major producing regions of dissolving pulp across the globe, according to a new report released this week by Research and Markets, Dublin, Ireland.

According to the new report, titled Global and Chinese Dissolving Pulp Industry Report, 2012-2015, major dissolving pulp producers worldwide include Aditya Birla, Sappi, Sateri, Rayonier, Buckeye, and Lenzing, the combined capacity of which in 2012 accounted for 61.4% of the world's total.

In 2010, the dissolving pulp capacity of China was no more than 240,000 metric tpy, with the import dependence rate surpassing 80%, the report notes. The considerable demand for dissolving pulp encouraged many companies to build new dissolving pulp projects, leading to the substantial rise in capacity to 937,500 metric tpy by 2012.

However, due to the bleak demand in global textile market as well as the international low-priced dissolving pulp, China-made dissolving pulp products took a nosedive in price, forcing most industrial players to slash their output and even suspend their production to reduce losses. In 2012, China's dissolving pulp output was just some 335,000 metric tpy, with the operating rate down to 35.7%, according to the new report.

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