The French corrugated board industry is entering a new phase of uncertainty. Carton Ondulé de France underlines the risk of a new energy shock linked to international tensions, particularly in the Middle East.
The trade organization, which represents over 70% of the French industry, points out that the sector has already been weakened by two successive crises.
In 2020, production fell by 3.8% in tonnes as a result of the pandemic. In a sector 94% reliant on recycled paper and cardboard, this drop in consumption has also reduced the availability of raw materials. The 5% rebound observed in 2021 corresponds to a catch-up and rebuilding of stocks.
The second shock, linked to the war in Ukraine, directly affected production costs, with gas and electricity prices more than doubling. Production is set to fall by 4.5% in 2022 and 7.5% in 2023.
"The risk of war in Iran could exacerbate these difficulties by weighing on both energy costs and consumption. Yet this potential new shock comes at a time when manufacturers are already hampered by the accumulation of regulatory constraints, additional costs and operational uncertainties." asks Carton Ondulé de France.
The introduction of extended producer responsibility (EPR) for professional packaging represents a cost estimated by Ademe at nearly 72 million euros for the sector, or around 1.5% of its sales.
This system is accompanied by new obligations, notably in terms of flow traceability, as well as contributions to the development of re-use and eco-design research.
For Philippe Durand, President of Carton Ondulé de France, "the issue is not just one of additional regulatory costs. It's about a gradual weakening of companies' ability to resist. By dint of adding burdens without a global impact study or overall vision, we are weakening industrial players who should, on the contrary, be consolidated to absorb external shocks".
The organization insists: "This situation is all the more paradoxical given that the corrugated cardboard industry is one of the most successful in terms of the circular economy, nearly ten years ahead of European recycling targets. To weaken such a sector today by piling on ill-calibrated burdens and obligations would be tantamount to penalizing an industry that is already committed, already tried and tested, and yet essential to industrial sovereignty as well as to the environmental transition."
Carton Ondulé de France is therefore asking for a forum for dialogue with the public authorities to be opened as soon as possible. "It's not a question of calling into question the principle of environmental responsibility, but of getting away from a logic of piling on without a global vision."
