Consumption in the paper and board sector grew by 5% in 2021, while production recovered by 5.8% last year, according to preliminary statistics from Cepi — the European Confederation of Paper Industries, highlighting the “signs of a strong recovery”.

According to Cepi, in the countries represented – which includes Portugal through Celpa – the Paper Industry Association, “as in other sectors, paper and cardboard are recovering from the economic crisis caused by the pandemic”.

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“The new trends in the use of these materials, initially exacerbated by the pandemic, seem to be creating deeper changes in our consumption patterns,” adds Cepi, which estimates that the production of paper and cardboard used for online shopping “increased by 7.1% in 2021 compared to 2020”.

The European confederation also highlights the growing “environmental awareness”, which is “resulting in an increased demand for packaging materials that are more sustainable”, with sectors such as the food and pharmaceutical industries “switching to paper and cardboard packaging for the transportation and delivery of their products”.

Cepi’s preliminary statistics also point out that the production of paper for packaging — used, for example, in the production of paper bags — rose by 11.7% and that the production of paper for innovative uses — such as for industrial purposes — grew by 9.6%.

“These figures, for both traditional and more innovative products, point to what is known in the industry as the substitution effect. Paper and other forest products must progressively replace, to a certain extent, various less sustainable materials and chemical products. This change has the support and commitment of the pulp and paper industry,” says Cepi.

The statement adds that global printing paper production has also seen “a slight increase”, while household paper consumption is “slightly above pre-pandemic levels”