CEPI: Paper and Board Output Recouped in 2021

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The preliminary statistics for 2021 published by the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) outlines changes in paper and board consumption over the past year.

Like other sectors, paper and board sector too bounced back from the economic downturn brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. The report says that there have been drastic changes in consumption patterns, which in turn has led to investment and realignment to adapt to the change.

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The countries represented in the CEPI displayed signs of a strong recovery in consumption in 2021. The consumption surged higher by 5% over the year. It must be noted that the consumption had registered a decline by 6.6% in 2020. The production too was up by 5.8%, driven by strong global demand, particularly from European region. This follows decline in European paper and board output in 2020. The exports outside of CEPI countries rebounded to 2019 levels.

The production of paper and board used for online shopping purpose recorded surge by over 7% in 2021. Nowadays, paper and board packaging has been increasingly used as a solution for the delivery of food or medical and pharmaceutical supplies.

The overall production of graphic grade paper registered a marginal increase. At the same time, the production of wrapping grades increased sharply by 11.7%. Also, production of paper for innovative uses was up by almost 10% year-on-year.