France pulp and paper industry - statistics & facts
The paper and pulp industry is one of the largest industries in the world, and France plays an important role in the sector. Although France’s paper production output is significantly lower than China and the United States, it was among the 15 largest paper and board producers worldwide in 2022 and the fifth-largest paper producer in Europe in 2023. As of 2022, France’s pulp and paper industry consisted of 70 companies, 81 mills, and employed more than 10,000 people. However, the production output of the sector was declining.
Despite the current declining trend, the output of the sector is expected to stabilize around paper and cardboard packaging production. The demand for these paper products will remain high in the next decades, driven by the popularity of e-commerce.
Declining paper production in France
Paper and paperboard production in France has decreased by more than 30 percent since 2005, dropping to seven million metric tons in 2022. In France, as in other countries, the main reason for this decline has been the sharp drop in demand for graphics paper. In 2005, graphic papers accounted for 45 percent of the country’s paper production, but increased digitization has since caused its share to drop to 17 percent. In comparison, paper packaging’s share of production has increased from 44 percent to almost 70 percent during this period and is now the most produced paper and board type in France by far. Hygienic paper’s share of overall paper production has also increased since 2005, growing from seven percent to 12 percent.Paper trade in France
Exports of paper and cardboard from France amounted to 3.9 million metric tons in 2022. This means that France exported more than half of the paper and paperboard it produced domestically that year. In contrast, paper and cardboard imports to France amounted to over five million metric tons, pushing the country’s total domestic consumption of paper products to more than 8.4 million metric tons in 2022. France’s main trading partners are neighboring Eurozone countries, as well as the United Kingdom.Despite the current declining trend, the output of the sector is expected to stabilize around paper and cardboard packaging production. The demand for these paper products will remain high in the next decades, driven by the popularity of e-commerce.
