Paper, paperboard and woodpulp

Global pulp, paper and paperboard producers faced ongoing challenges in 2013 in matching efficient and cost-effective supply with an ever-changing demand landscape. Bold capacity rationalization and cost-reduction strategies, including strategic alliances and mergers, continued to be implemented or studied across all pulp, paper and paperboard grades in Europe, Japan and North America. Despite these efforts, capacity remains in excess of demand, which is declining across publishing paper grades as a result of the increased use of electronic communication, including via the Internet. Several companies in the subsector continued to convert from graphic grades to packaging papers in 2013. In the UNECE region, North America managed a meager increase in the production of paper and paperboard in 2013 over 2012, with Europe and the CIS both showing lower production during the same period (graph 8.1.1).

Related Subject(s): Environnement et changement climatique