The Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI), Brussels, Belgium, this week released its 2013 Key Statistics, tracking the industry’s overall performance last year. The report includes data about production, consumption, and the trade of pulp, paper, and raw materials, as well as data on energy and the environment. 

CEPI members produced 91.1 million metric tons of paper and board in 2013, a decrease of 1.2% (1.1 million metric tons) compared with 2012. Last year (2013) is the third consecutive year paper and board production has declined since the industry rebounded from the economic downturn in 2010. Total pulp production fell by 2.2% but market pulp output increased by 1.3%. CEPI countries maintained a positive trade balance for paper and board (exports exceeding imports) of 14.8 million metric tons. 

The contraction in paper and board production in 2013 is due to the structural decline in graphic paper consumption in combination with the on-going growth of paper and board packaging and household and sanitary paper (tissue), CEPI noted. The good performance of the latter two sectors only partly offsets the erosion the graphic paper sector is currently experiencing, it added. The graphic paper sector share of all paper and board produced in Europe dropped to 41.9% in 2013. In contrast, the share of the packaging grades and sanitary and household papers is continuously growing and in 2013 represented 45.9% and 7.7% respectively of all paper and board produced in Europe. 

On the whole, the pulp and paper industry continues to suffer from the slow economic recovery, CEPI continued. In 2013, weak economic conditions significantly affected the consumption of paper and board. In fact, EU GDP registered a low 0.1% increase (-0.4% in 2012: source Eurostat). In addition, total paper deliveries fell by 1.2% compared with 2012, as a result of reduced domestic consumption (- 1.5%) and a less dynamic export market (-1.2%). Paper imports also fell more than 5%. 

 

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