The market for paper - Germany

1.1 Scope of the study

The paper market includes the segments of printing, writing, copying paper (graphic paper), tissue paper, cardboard, and packaging paper. Paper production makes up a large economic sector in Germany and has experienced a +36.3% shift in its sales in 2022, while the previous year's growth was +22.8%.

The paper industry in Germany is one of the largest in the world. Recently, the market has been exposed to volatile prices and has shown itself vulnerable to crises in the past. Global supply chain bottlenecks have led to significant inflation of raw materials along with the COVID-19 crisis. The price of pulp required for production has increased by 60% in 2021 compared to 2020. As a result, German paper mills produced 6.4% fewer tons of paper.

The pulp and paper industry in Germany is oriented towards global trade. A significant share of production is exported to countries outside the European Union. In addition, the raw materials needed for the production of paper and paperboard are imported from countries outside the EU.

China, the USA, and Japan are the largest paper producers in the world, and Germany is fourth. In the global market, Germany is the largest importer and exporter of paper. The industry has been strongly slowed down by digital transformation, creating hurdles as well as new opportunities. Despite the increase in digitalization, hence the decline of graph paper, global demand is expected to grow by 1.1% per year. This development is explained by a worldwide increase in online trade.