The pandemic year of 2020 ends with a 5 per cent fall in European paper and board production

摘要

The ramifications of the Covid-19 pandemic have had less of an impact on the paper industry than on other sectors of industry. In its report on industry developments in 2020, the Confederation of European Paper Industries (Cepi) found that most paper mills ran without major disruptions last year despite the sanitary restrictions and the slowing of the European economy. The majority of mills were classified as essential during the lockdown because they make paper for hygiene products, pharmaceutical products and food packaging. But some paper producers still had to curb their output because of dwindling demand. All told, 85.1 million t of paper and board had been produced in Cepi member countries in 2020, according to Cepi statistics. This figure was 5 per cent down compared to 2019. Initial estimates indicated that global paper and board production had also declined by 5 per cent, Cepi said. Countries like China, Japan, the US and Canada had suffered slumps between 2 and 17 per cent.