The European Union's 27 member states exported more recovered paper to countries outside the EU last year. According to Eurostat, shipments to third countries rose by 9 per cent year on year to 6.0 million tonnes. At the same time, recovered paper imports into the EU fell by 3 per cent to 1.9 million tonnes. Overall, the EU therefore remains a net exporter of recovered paper.
Despite the increase in 2025, EU recovered paper exports still remain well below the levels seen in earlier years. Shipments reached an all-time high in the aftermath of the financial crisis in 2009, when almost 10 million tonnes of recovered paper left the EU. During the following decade, exports fluctuated between 6 and 8 million tonnes per year before plunging to just over 4 million tonnes during the Covid pandemic. Since then, export volumes have again trended higher.
The full report, with charts illustrating the Eurostat data and recent trends in the extra-EU recovered paper trade, can be found here.
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