In the member countries* of the European Confederation of Paper Manufacturers (Cepi), paper and board production will fall by 1.5% in 2025 compared with the previous year, according to the association's provisional figures. This follows a 5.9% rise in 2024, which in turn followed a sharp fall in 2023, against a backdrop of massive destocking and high energy costs.
"These difficulties are due to unfavorable macroeconomic conditions: sluggish demand, the significant weight of high energy and production costs compared with global competition, as well as heavier regulation in Europe, geopolitical issues and growing trade tensions." says Cepi.
However, "in Europe, the sector has been able to capitalize on its leading position in bio-based and circular materials, enabling it to demonstrate resilience."
Production excluding graphic paper stable
Excluding the graphics sector, European production of packaging papers, tissue papers and other papers will be stable overall in 2025. However, it will remain 6.8% below the record level reached in 2021.
Packaging now accounts for 63.9% of total production, versus 62.9% a year earlier. Graphic papers fall to 20.8% (versus 22.0% in 2024).
Production of packaging papers should be virtually stable over the year (+0.2%). In detail, corrugated board rose by 1.7%. Conversely, folding carton, notably for consumer goods packaging, fell by 5.6%. Paper for sacks posted a limited increase of 1.0%.
Tissue paper fell by 0.8%, accounting for 10.4% of total production.
Graphic papers continued to contract, with an overall drop of 7.2%.
In detail, newsprint fell by 7.5%, printing and writing papers by 7.2%, with sharp declines of over 10% for coated and uncoated mechanical papers.
Production of wood-free graphic papers fell by 5.0%, while production of mechanical graphic papers dropped by 10.7%.
Other paper and board for industrial or specific uses rose slightly by 0.4% (representing 4.8% of total paper and board production).
On a global scale, paper and board production is estimated to be virtually stable in 2025 at -0.3%, following an increase of 3.6% in 2024. China grows by 2.9%, Brazil by 0.1%. The United States, Japan, Canada and South Korea record declines of between 1.9% and 5.7%.
Lower paper and cardboard consumption
Over the first nine months of 2025, apparent paper and board consumption in the Cepi zone fell by 2.2% compared with 2024. Graphic paper consumption fell by 7.9%. Tissue paper fell by 1.9%.
Packaging demand was dragged down by folding carton, down 3.5%. Corrugated board remained stable at -0.2%. Sack packaging paper rose by 0.5%.
The use of paper for recycling fell by 1.3%. Old newspapers and magazines fell by 16%, a direct reflection of the contraction in the graphics segment. Used paper and corrugated board rose by 1.7%.
A positive trade balance for the Cepi zone
Over the first nine months of the year, total paper and board deliveries in the Cepi countries fell by 1.0%.
Exports from Cepi member countries fell by 4.4% at the end of September 2025, with declines in almost all regions, with the exception of Latin America with +17.4%. Exports to Asia fell by 15%. Shipments to neighboring European countries fall by 5.5%. North America declined by 2.7%. Exports represent 19% of total production.
Imports into the Cepi zone fall by around 4.3% over the same period, following a sharp rise in 2024. They cover 8% of consumption.
"The paper and board trade balance for the Cepi zone decreased by 4.4% compared to 2024, but remains positive overall." notes Cepi, "a unique situation among Europe's energy-intensive sectors"
Cepi points out that figures recently published by Deloitte show that Europe is unrivalled when it comes to competitiveness on key indicators: biomass flows for biomaterials and the rate of use of circular materials, mainly thanks to the European paper and cardboard sector.
Chemical pulp production on the rise
Total pulp production fell by 1.2% to around 33.3 million tonnes. Mechanical pulp fell by 8.1%. Chemical pulp, which accounts for 80% of total pulp production, rose slightly by 0.7% to represent 80% of the total.
Market pulp increased by 2.1%, following a decline in 2024. It remains close to the levels observed since 2020.
Production in most paper and board-producing countries in 2025 has fallen by more than in Europe: the United States, Japan, Canada and South Korea have all recorded a decline in production (from -1.9% to -5.7%). The exceptions are Brazil (+0.1%), a major exporter of pulp to Europe, and China (+2.9%), which has accelerated its paper and board production since 2020.
Cepi General Manager Jori Ringman: " Insufficient demand remains a major limiting factor for production. Replacing fossil-based materials presents additional growth potential, but we face unfair competition with these materials and asymmetric information that influences consumer choices."
*Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands and United Kingdom.
