EU foreign trade in recovered paper and board was extremely volatile over the past 18 months. The 27 member states of the European Union shipped a record-low amount to destinations outside the EU ("third countries") for recycling in the first six months of 2022. Exports to third countries then soared to levels not seen in a quite some time in the second half of 2022 and at the beginning of 2023. In spring, these shipment volumes plunged again before slowly levelling off again in the summer of 2023.
These developments reflect the plunge in demand for recovered paper from the European paper industry mapped in EUWID's regular market reports. At times, recovered paper merchants sold decent amounts to buyers in third countries, especially in Asia, before paper manufacturers’ order books, and thus, demand for recovered paper and board, took a turn for the worse in these regions, too....
