According to preliminary statistics, the total output of paper and paperboard in the member countries of the European Paper Federation (Cepi) in 2022 decreased by 5.9% compared with the previous year, reflecting the impact of high energy prices on the European economy and industry in the second half of 2022.

Production declined but consumption remained stable

In 2022, the total output of paper and paperboard in Cepi member countries was 84.8 million tons, and almost all kinds of paper and paperboard except household and retail paper declined.

However, despite the slowdown in the EU economy and the decline in paper production, paper consumption remained stable. The reason why consumption has maintained a stable trend is that the European economic situation in the first half of 2022 is relatively optimistic, and the second half of 2022 began to slow down due to the impact of various factors. In addition, the demand for sanitary and household paper increased by 3.6% in 2022, and the demand for packaging paper and paperboard remained relatively stable, which also made up for the decline trend of other grades of paper.

According to statistics, EU GDP increased by 0.3% in the third quarter of 2022, and stagnated in the fourth quarter. The EU economy is expected to grow by only 0.8% in 2023 and 1.6% in 2024.

The difference between production and sales leads to the increase of paper import trade

The difference between the decline of paper production and the stability of consumption led to the increase of paper import trade in Europe. Globally, in 2022, the output of many major paper production countries in the world will decline. For example, the decline in paper production in Canada, Japan, the United States and South Korea was between 0.5% and 3.5%. In Europe, the decline in paper production can be attributed to many factors, the most important of which is the energy cost. The soaring energy cost has forced many paper mills to temporarily stop production.