The toilet paper market - France

1.2 The global toilet paper market

The toilet paper market can be segmented in a number of ways:

By materials used: wood pulp, recycled paper. By type: one-ply, two-ply, three-ply (***) By market: B*C, B*B

The global toilet paper market will be worth $**.** billion by ****. This corresponds to growth of *.*% over ****, which is high due to the effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which disrupted production lines and the supply of many raw materials. This global market is expected to grow at a CAGR of *.*% until ****, reaching $**.** billion in that year.

Trend in toilet paper sales World, ****-****, in billions of dollars Source: ****

By ****, Asia-Pacific and North America will hold the two largest shares of the global toilet paper market. Over the period studied, market growth is expected to be strongest in Asia, particularly in China, India and Indonesia, where population density is very high and lifestyle standards are changing. It should be noted that **% of the population do not use toilet paper. [***]

Toilet paper consumption by volume worldwide is expected to reach ** million tonnes in **** and ** million tonnes in ****.

Projected toilet paper consumption by volume World, ****-****, in millions of tons Source: ****

1.3 The national toilet paper market

On average, a French person uses *** rolls of toilet paper a year, equivalent to * kg of toilet paper. [***]

In France, toilet paper manufacturers are registered under NAF code **.**Z.

This NAF code covers the production of paper for sanitary or household use (***). Although this NAF code is fairly broad, the evolution of its sales enables us to approximate the evolution of the toilet paper market.

Thus, sales for the manufacture of sanitary and household articles will exceed * billion euros in ****, and have increased by *% since ****.

Sales trends in the manufacture of sanitary and household paper products France, ****-****, in billions of euros Source: ****

We can observe a more significant increase in sales between **** and **** (***) due to the need to sell off inventories from the previous year.

These sales only take into account toilet paper manufacturing, not distribution. In ****, sales will reach *.*** billion euros, up *.*% on ****. Toilet paper belongs to the household paper hygiene segment, which accounts for *.** billion euros.

Breakdown of home paper hygiene sales France, ****, in millions of euros Source: ****

1.4 Balance of trade

The UN Comtrade database enables us to track trade in HS code ******, which covers trade in the following products: "Paper of a kind used for toilet paper and similar paper, cellulose wadding or webs of cellulose fibers, of a kind used for household or sanitary purposes, in rolls of a width not exceeding ** cm, or cut to size; handkerchiefs, cleansing towels hand towels, tablecloths, serviettes, bed sheets and similar household, sanitary or hospital articles, articles of apparel and clothing accessories, of paper pulp, paper, cellulose wadding or webs of cellulose fibers. "European Customs Portal

We refer to these products as toilet paper products.

In ****, France imported $*** million worth of toilet paper products. The seven largest importers are shown in the graph below.

The seven biggest importers of toilet paper products France, ****, in millions of dollars Source: ****

The vast majority of imports come from Europe. The three bordering countries (***) alone account for **% of imports.

In ****, France will export the same number of hygiene paper products, with an export value of $*** million.

The seven countries to which France exports the most hygiene paper products France, ****, in millions of dollars Source: ****

Once again, the vast majority of exports go to Europe. The Netherlands-Belgium-Germany trio ...

1.5 Inflation and toilet paper

Inflation in **** has particularly affected the paper industry, where costs have risen bycosts increased by **%. This high inflation is the result of a wood industry that found itself under pressure in **** due to a sharp rise in demand and the high energy dependency of paper manufacturing companies(***).[***]

Effect of inflation on certain paper products France, January ****, in Source: ****

For example, toilet paper is subject to **% inflation in January **** compared with July ****. By way of comparison, overall inflation between January **** and January **** is +*%. [***]

This inflationary effect seems to benefit private labels, which offer lower costs. Thus, in ****, in the household paper market segment, private label growth is +*.*%, compared with +*.*% overall. [***] At Action France, a private-label discounter, the most popular product in **** will be toilet paper.

What's more, if sales of toilet paper have risen (***), it's because of higher inflation, but not because of greater volume sales. The volume of toilet paper sold in **** fell by *.*%.

2.1 Toilet paper, an essential hygiene product

In France, toilet paper is an essential hygiene product, found in every bathroom. In the second half of the twentieth century, bidets (***) gradually disappeared as toilet paper became more widespread.

Annual toilet paper consumption is around *** rolls per person, or * kg of toilet paper. [***], this corresponds to ***,*** tonnes of toilet paper used each year in France.

The associated annual expenditure is around ** euros per person, which corresponds to a total expenditure of around * billion euros per year.

According to an Ifop survey entitled "Hygiène et précarité en France" (***), carried out in **** for the Dons Solidaires association, twice as many French people will be controlling their consumption of essential hygiene products as in ****. Thus, in ****, **% of respondents control their consumption of toilet paper, compared with *% in ****.

Percentage of French people controlling their use of essential hygiene products France, ****-****, in Source: ****

**% of young people aged ** to ** do not use or control their toilet paper consumption (***). [***]

According to another study carried out by Ipsos for the Observatoire E.Leclerc des Nouvelles Consommations(***) and low-income households the most.

This behavior, which aims to reduce consumption of essential hygiene products, is strongly correlated with purchasing power. Indeed, while **% of French people will ...

2.2 More eco-friendly toilet paper

According to a study by the Observatoire de la Consommation Responsable, published in **** and carried out among *,*** people representative of the French population in ****, **% of French people consider the ecological impact before purchasing a non-food product . [***]

Toilet paper was the subject of a scandal in February **** following the discovery by researchers of the presence of pollutants in wastewater and carcinogens linked to the composition of toilet paper. They discovered that **% of disubstituted polyfluoroalkyl phosphates, a pollutant and carcinogen, found in French wastewater came from toilet paper [***]

These factors could prompt the French to turn to brands of products that are more sustainable for the planet and the environment.

It is now possible to buy toilet paper sourced from sustainably managed forests. This guarantee of sustainability is provided by the FSC (***) labels.

New offers include toilet paper made from recycled fibers or new raw materials (***). As far as recycled toilet paper is concerned, in France, by ****, only **% of the toilet paper used will come from recycled fibers. [***]

Low use of recycled toilet paper in France France, ****, in Source: ****

Reusable tissue toilet paper is likely to remain very marginal, as its use requires a great deal of cultural change on the part of ...

2.3 France's favourite toilet paper brands

The graph below is based on OpinionWay's survey of French people's favorite brands in March ****. It shows respondents' answers to the question "Do you like this brand of toilet paper?" for each brand, with the percentage corresponding to the proportion of respondents who answered "yes".

French preference for different toilet paper brands France, ****, in Source: ****

The graph below compares the level of appreciation of * toilet paper brands according to respondents' age category. The **-** age group is the least appreciative of the three toilet paper brands preferred by the French.

Comparison of the level of appreciation of three toilet paper brands according to age category France, ****, in Source: ****

The graph below compares the approval ratings of * toilet paper brands according to respondents' region. Respondents from the IDF region are the ones who appreciate these two brands the most.

Comparison of the level of appreciation of three French toilet paper brands according to region France, ****, in Source: ****

3.1 Structuring the industry

Here's a simplified value chain for the toilet paper market.

This study focuses on the last two stages of the value chain. We can simply note that for the harvesting of raw materials, most of the toilet paper used is made from South American or Scandinavian forests. [***] Recycled toilet paper comes from the recovery of company paper.

Toilet paper production

With * plants in mainland France, the leader in toilet paper production is the Swedish Essity group. Its plant in Gien (***). [***]

Papeco (***) is the only company manufacturing ***% recycled toilet paper. [***]

The production companies all seem to be diversified into the manufacture of other single-use hygiene products: paper towels, handkerchiefs, sanitary pads, ...

Distribution

Toilet paper for the home is, for the most part, purchased from supermarkets and supermarket chains (***).

The new consumer products that are appearing on the market seem to favor online distribution channels. This is the case, for example, with Popee, an exclusively online service that works on a subscription basis to receive recycled toilet paper directly to the home every month. Popee uses the papeco production plant. We can also mention Jhana, which offers an online order to cover one person's annual need for recycled toilet paper made from ...

3.2 Toilet paper production

The toilet paper companies listed in section *.* are all diversified into the production of other toilet papers: paper towels, handkerchiefs, ... Thus, "paper products for sanitary or domestic use", registered under NAF code **.**Z (***), includes companies that produce toilet paper.

Number of companies registered under NAF code **.**Z France, **** - ****, in units Source: ****

We can observe that the number of companies registered under this NAF code fell by **% between **** (***). Knowing that this NAf code encompasses other activities such as the production of menstrual protection and diapers, for example, it's not possible with this information to svaer whether this is a toilet paper production plant closure.

Since ****, the number of companies in this sector is sand. In ****, there are ** companies manufacturing paper articles for sanitary or domestic use.

We can also observe the evolution of the number of employees working in these companies.

Change in number of employees in companies registered under NAF code **.**Z France, **** - ****, in units Source : URSSAF Overall, the number of employees is stable, reaching **** in ****. Curiously, the number of employees fell by just *% between **** and ****. Between **** and ****, ** new positions were even created, while * companies closed. What's more, the number of employees is higher after ****, while the number of ...

4.1 Toilet paper in supermarkets

The toilet paper range differs from one product to another according to the following characteristics:

Number of rolls (***) Number of folds (***) The color of the sheets (***) The tube (***) Other: sheets can be scented or moistened. Wet toilet paper differs from wipes in that, unlike wipes, it can be flushed directly down the toilet. Instead of rolls, wet toilet paper comes in individual sheets stored in a plastic container, as with wipes.

On the corresponding Drive sites, we have noted the prices of various products sold in supermarkets on April *, ****.

The number of rolls sold is always specified, but the length of the rolls is not.

On average, the price of specialist brands is higher than the average price of retail brands.

4.2 Toilet paper for professionals

Likewise, on April *, ****, we raised the offer of products for professionals.

4.3 The development of e-commerce

We've also taken a look at the prices of various products offered on e-commerce.

Online sales make it possible to place wholesale orders at much lower prices. New inputs are more likely to be positioned in online sales.

5.1 Current regulations

There are currently no regulations governing the marketing of toilet paper.

TheInternational Organization for Standardization has clarified the physical properties of tissue paper products, of which toilet paper is one, through ISO *****-*:****. The aim is "to enable manufacturers, converters and customers to have a common understanding of the various terms used in the manufacture of tissue paper, and to facilitate the harmonization of test methods"

Toilet paper sold on the market can be certified Ecolabel by the European Commission. The application must be made to the competent body in the country of production. If the application is accepted, the European Union may carry out occasional tests in the production plant. [***] The criteria for obtaining the Ecolabel for products belonging to the "Tissue paper" range are set out in regulation (***) n°**/****.

6.1 Positioning the players

• Popee
• Antalis France
• Carrefour Groupe
• Lidl France
• E.Leclerc
• Casino Groupe
• Amazon
• Jhana
• Materiel CHR pro
• Kleenex
• Metro France
• Hypronet
• Essity
• Papeco