U.S. Census Bureau Posted Notable Decline in Recovered Fiber Exports

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The recent data published by the U.S. Census Bureau suggests notable decline in recovered paper exports from the country during the third quarter of 2020. On the other hand, pulp exports increased.

An analysis of Q3 exports indicates that the country exported 4.26 million short tons of recovered fiber during the three-month period from July through September in 2020. This is upon comparison with the exports of 4.52 million short tons during the corresponding quarter a year before.

The largest export destination of U.S. fiber was China. The country imported 1.86 million short tons during the third quarter, accounting for 44% of all recovered fiber that left the U.S. The other key importers were India (427,000 short tons), Mexico (419,000 tons) and Vietnam (249,000 tons).

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The year-to-date exports of recovered fiber through September totalled 11.61 million short tons, as compared with 14.29 million short tons during Jan-Sep ’19. Through the initial nine months of 2020, the U.S. exported 284,000 short tons of recycled pulp, almost nearing the full-year exports of 295,000 short tons in 2019. China accounted for nearly 89% of these U.S. pulp exports. The pulp exports are expected to post further growth in the coming years, with the commissioning of new recycled pulp mill in Northeast U.S.