Europe paper industry - statistics & facts
Europe plays a key role in the global paper industry, accounting for a considerable share of the paper and paperboard produced and exported worldwide. However, the size of the European paper sector has been shrinking over the past few years. In 2023, there were 856 pulp and paper and board mills in operation across the member countries of the Confederation of European Paper Industries (Cepi), almost 150 less than in 2010. In turn, the number of employees in the pulp and paper sector in the region has declined by 20,000 people over the same period. Still, the European paper industry revenue grew over the last decades and surpassed 100 billion euros in 2022 and 2023, despite being negatively affected by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Digitalization is the main factor behind the European paper industry’s decline, together with increasing energy prices, and competition for raw materials supply in the global market. The increase in the use of recycled paper in Europe is another factor contributing to this trend. The industry is in fact striving for a more sustainable approach to this commodity production, addressing topics such as the management of wood resources, the environmental impact of raw material transportation, water and energy consumption, and waste production.
European paper companies in global ranking
Accounting for the considerable revenue of the European paper industry, some of the world's biggest forestry and paper companies are headquartered in Europe. Several key players are based in the Nordic countries, such as Finnish forestry and paper giants UPM Kymmene and Stora Enso, and Sweden’s Billerud and Svenska Cellulosa (SCA). Stora Enso's packaging material segment accounted for almost 40 percent of the company’s sales that year, at almost five billion euros. Outside the Nordics, another major player in the European paper industry is Ireland’s Smurfit Kappa, the leading paper company in the region.Paper production and consumption are declining in Europe
Like the number of paper mills, the output of the European paper industry has also been declining. The European paper and board production decreased 12 percent year-over-year in 2023, to approximately 74 million metric tons. Similarly, paper and board consumption decreased 14 percent to 62.7 million metric tons. Packaging paper and board were the leading paper products in the regions, with case materials –or containerboard- accounting for over 40 percent of the total volume produced. The rise in demand for paper packaging has been boosted by e-commerce.Digitalization is the main factor behind the European paper industry’s decline, together with increasing energy prices, and competition for raw materials supply in the global market. The increase in the use of recycled paper in Europe is another factor contributing to this trend. The industry is in fact striving for a more sustainable approach to this commodity production, addressing topics such as the management of wood resources, the environmental impact of raw material transportation, water and energy consumption, and waste production.
