Russia exported around 6 million tons of pulp and paper products in 2021, with close to 40% of the flow arriving in China’s market, as seen in Figure 1.

So far, 2022 has proven to be just as unpredictable and hectic as the previous two years.

The global economy has been navigating evolving supply chain crises since mid-2020, and some of the associated challenges seem to be growing more complex.

Market pulp is a critical global commodity within the pulp and paper industry. As such, it is a constant fixture in global trade flows because of its primary role in manufacturing numerous paper grades.

In December 2021, Swedish pulp and paper manufacturer BillerudKorsnäs AB announced its acquisition of North American coated papers producer Verso Corporation.

The pulp and paper industry is one of the largest consumers of industrial process water in the US, and the second largest in Europe (water is used within 85% of all three stages of paper production).

On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin organized and initiated an invasion into Ukraine.

As we’ve discussed before, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) issues are becoming increasingly important amongst business owners and consumers alike.

Last year, we examined how the COVID-19 pandemic supercharged the packaging and corrugated sector – a piece in which we analyzed the various effects and opportunities it has since created for the Pulp and Paper industry.

Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) initiatives and investments continue to shape decision-making in nearly every industry, and as a result, sustainability-related issues have moved to the top of the list of corporate priorities.

Similar to 2020, the Pulp and Paper industry underwent some significant changes in 2021—some expected, some unexpected.

The Printing and Writing segment has been a declining sector for a number of years as the digital age has matured.

It’s the gift that keeps on living and here’s why.

During 2021, we’ve seen the Pulp and Paper industry go above and beyond to place sustainability matters at the forefront of its priorities.

We recently discussed the direct and indirect impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on e-commerce and the corrugated segment over the last 18 months.

For many professionals in the global Pulp and Paper supply chain, there is a common sentiment that oftentimes puts us on the defensive. Inaccurate and misleading criticisms about the use of paper products - and the sustainability of forest products in general - have been unfairly leveled against the industry for decades.

Those within the tissue industry know Brazil for its robust eucalyptus pulp production, which is generally used within the tissue segment due to its positive impacts on tissue properties.

The global pulp & paper industry continues to evolve and adapt to meet changing consumer preferences that reflect an increased awareness of environmental impacts and sustainability concerns.

As the COVID Delta variant remains persistent, so does the news surrounding it — which has recently focused on the impacts the virus has had on certain segments of the paper industry.

In North America, publicly traded companies such as International Paper, Procter and Gamble, and Verso own the lion’s share of papermaking capacity.

Pulp and Paper companies are making headlines as awards are received, new products are rolled out and initiatives are launched to meet sustainability goals.