The role of paper remains important in the digital age, with this ubiquitous material still used daily for many purposes worldwide. In fact, the
totals more than 400 million metric tons each year. The most produced type of paper is
, which has been growing in demand in recent years due to the online shopping boom.
in the world are China and the United States. While paper production in the United States has been declining in recent decades,
has soared and reached a high of 117 million metric tons in 2020. This was roughly twice the output of the U.S. that year.
How the paper industry has changed
The paper industry has seen considerable change in recent decades due to a shift in consumer behavior and increased digitalization. Just 20 years ago, newsprint accounted for 12 percent of
global paper and paperboard production, but the transition to digital media platforms has seen its share of global production fall to less than four percent. Printing and writing papers have also been negatively impacted, with the annual global output of these paper grades reducing by 25 percent since 2010.
In contrast,
paper packaging has thrived in the digital age, especially since the e-commerce boom. For example, the annual production of corrugated case material, which plays a pivotal role in e-commerce, has increased almost 30 percent in the past decade and now accounts for 43 percent of global paper and paperboard production. The
demand for corrugated case material is expected to continue growing over the coming decade to reach 221 million metric tons – an increase of 30 percent compared to 2020 levels.
Leading global paper companies
Paper companies are involved in the manufacturing of various grades of paper, such as containerboard, tissues, printing papers, and newsprint. The
largest paper company worldwide is U.S. based
International Paper, which reported a revenue of 19.36 billion U.S. dollars in 2021. International Paper is a leading producer of industrial packaging products ̶ specifically corrugated packaging. In previous years International Paper was involved in the manufacture of printing papers, but in 2021 the company completed the spin-off of its printing papers business into a standalone company, Sylvamo Corporation. Other
major paper manufacturers include Oji Paper Company, Stora Enso, UPM-Kymmene , Smurfit Kappa, and DS Smith.
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