After three difficult years, European paper production rebounded in 2024. According to the 2024 statistical report from the Confederation of European Paper Industries (Cepi), paper and board consumption rose by 7%, while production grew by 5.9%. This is higher than the provisional estimates published last February.
Packaging leads the way with + 6.7%, graphic paper jumps to + 3.8
All product families reported growth in production. Packaging led the recovery, with a 6.7% jump in production.
The toilet and household paper segment grew by 5.6%.
Graphic paper âeuros, including books, newspapers, printing and writing, halted its downward trend with a 3.8% increase.
But production still below 2021 levels
The recovery remains relative, however. Compared with 2021, a year of high activity post-Covid, production in energy-intensive sectors, including paper, remains 10% to 15% lower. Cepi points to both the unfavorable European economic climate and rising regulatory costs, which are affecting international competitiveness.
Exports: volumes still lower than in 2020
On the export side, the paper industry is reporting a 4.6% increase in foreign sales in 2024. However, this figure masks a 19% decline compared to 2020. Trade tensions and overcapacity in certain regions are accentuating competitive pressure, as Cepi points out. The United States occupies a special position, being both the European Union's second-largest customer and second-largest supplier.
CO2 emissions halved since 2005
In addition to volumes, Cepi also highlights environmental advances. Since 2005, the sector's CO2 emissions have been halved. By 2024, specific emissions will have fallen by 6.3%, to 0.24 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of paper produced. This result stems from investments in cleaner technologies, alternative fuels and improved energy efficiency.
Another remarkable indicator is that 91% of the fibers used come from sustainably managed European forests and an active recycled paper market. A fact that Cepi associates with the notion of "strategic autonomy for the European Union.
Cepi General Manager Jori Ringman emphasizes: "We have demonstrated that industry is more resilient when it invests in sustainability for the long term. We now await the European Commission's proposal for a new strategy for the bioeconomy, which will demonstrate Europe's willingness to deploy incentives to create a level playing field between fossil and bio-based materials."
