Most prices on the Italian recovered paper market continued to climb in March. For the ordinary recovered paper grades, increases were said to be €10-15, and even €20 in some cases, a trend market participants attributed to the restricted availability of recovered paper. Prices for medium grades also jumped significantly in March, rising by up to €20 or even €25, after remaining fairly steady in recent months.
Collection volumes were chronically low and far below the previous year’s levels, they said. At the same time, demand from paper manufacturers was strong, especially at the beginning of the month, because their inventories had reached very low levels in February.
A strike and heavy snowfall had caused transport problems for weeks, preventing warehouses from being filled. During March, manufacturers were said to have re-stocked. Although this process was not yet complete, "panic buying” had come to an end, said one merchant.