According to the industry experts, there are various applications in which the paper industry can chip, such as paper bags, straws, and cutlery, as sustainable alternatives to plastics. Even the investors have recognised the immense opportunity as there has been an upward trend in the shares of leading paper companies.   In line with the clarion call given by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to phase out single-use plastic items, India is all set to ban the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of identified single-use plastic items, which have low utility and high ..read more

The European Paper Recycling Council (EPRC) recently held the European Paper Recycling Awards during which the recycling rate of 76 percent has been set by the European paper value chain representatives. Representatives of the European paper value chain gathered in Brussels and pledged to recycle 76 percent of all paper consumed by 2030. The commitment was taken during the 8th edition of the European Paper Recycling Awards which saw two projects, breaking new ground for how far paper recycling can go, receiving the highest distinction in the European paper recycling community. The new, am ..read more

The annual statistics report by Cepi shows that the recycling of paper is increasingly performed in Europe, surpassing 50 million tonnes in 2021 for the first time, while exports of paper for recycling decreased by 18 percent compared to 2020.   Cepi’s annual statistics for the European pulp and paper industry offer a unique view of the current state of the market for pulp and paper products and the industry’s performance. They also allow for an objective analysis of deeper trends behind the industry’s resilience. Like other industries, in 2021, pulp and paper showed signs of a strong pos ..read more

As per the data shared by IPMA, the paper and paperboard exports in the April-December period of this fiscal are worth INR 10,236 crore as compared to INR 5,032 crore of the April-December period of FY 2020-21. India’s exports of paper and paperboard in the nine months of FY 2021-22 have surpassed the exports achieved in the entire FY 2020-21, as per the recent data shared by IPMA (Indian Paper Manufacturers Association). In terms of financials, the export in the April-December period of this fiscal is worth INR 10,236 crore (~USD 1,380 million) as against INR 5,032 crore (~USD 681 million) of ..read more

The pandemic has accelerated the digital evolution and the decline of printing and writing demand, but packaging paper oversupply could be in the future. Graphic paper production capacity cuts have been a reality globally. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the transition from paper to digital solutions, even in a region where access to technology is more restricted than in developed countries. In lower printing and writing (P/W) consumption across the board, the pandemic fostered trends that boosted packaging paper demand, including increased demand for electronic commerce and transition from ..read more

The paper industry is blamed for deforestation and the felling of trees. We often receive e-mails with the tagline “Please consider the environment before printing this email” or “Save Paper — Think Before you Print”. However, the scenario is not what it looks like. It’s true that paper requires cellulose pulp and fibers from trees but that is just the tip of the iceberg. While wood accounts for 21-22 percent of raw material usage, non-wood sources including wastepaper and agro residue-based account for 70 percent and 8 percent, respectively (according to the CPPRI report of 2019-20 ..read more

Why do air bubbles and surface foam occur? To form a stable foam, we need to meet the following criteria: A liquid (water is a major component of the pulp and paper making process) An impurity in the liquid (there are many chemicals and surfactants found naturally in wood which are released during the pulping process; paper makers use many additives in the wet end to give the paper different functional properties) Mechanical energy (the process of making pulp and paper is very dynamic) Pulp and papermaking systems contain all these three criteria; therefore, foaming is a common occurrence. A ..read more

The huge disruption caused by the pandemic cannot be denied; however, it has not really changed the course or direction but accelerated the pre-existing trends in the paper industry.   During the last two years, the pandemic has hobbled the world socially, economically, and politically. Hopefully, we are past the worst of it and can look forward to the normalisation of human activity. A lot has been analysed and said about the changes this pandemic has brought about to the normal way of human life. Let us look at some of the macro trends witnessed. • Digitisation of business and human act ..read more

Magazine paper capacity is falling In Q3 2021, supercalendered (SC) paper capacity decreased by some 400,000 tonnes per/yr as Stora Enso permanently idled PM 12 at its Kvarnsveden mill in Sweden. Capacity will further decrease in H1 2023 when Heinzel converts PM 11 at its Laakirchen mill in Austria from SC to recycled containerboard production. Towards the end of last year, Smurfit Kappa Group started an environmental impact assessment (EIA) as well as a public consultation for its Parenco Renkum mill in the Netherlands in preparation to apply for a revision of the mill’s current env ..read more