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The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), in its Paper Industry Capacity and Fiber Consumption Survey, notes that the consumption of recovered paper increased by 3.9 percent in 2021. Further, the capacity of containerboard has reached a record high of 42.3 million tonnes.

June 20, 2022

Representative Image: Recovered Paper and Boxboard bales for recycling.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), Washington, has come up with its 62nd Paper Industry Capacity and Fiber Consumption Survey. The survey report showed that the overall capacity of paper and paperboard capacity in the USA has declined by 0.4 percent in 2021 compared with the average decline of 1 percent per year since 2012.

With the survey, it is hinted that the total paper and paperboard capacity might remain flat in 2022, with rising growth in the boxboard and newsprint, and stable growth in containerboard and tissue papers, while a decline in the writing & printing segments. The report features the information and data on the USA paper industry capacity for 2021 and 2022 of all major grades of – paper, paperboard, and pulp, in addition to fiber consumption.

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Notably, the consumption of recovered paper in the USA-based paper and paperboard mills has increased by 3.9 percent in 2021. This marks the highest-ever recovered paper consumption by domestic mills since 2008. It also indicates the highest level of total fiber consumption at the mills and the ninth consecutive year of increases in the share from 36 percent in 2012 to 41.6 percent in 2021.

The capacity of containerboard has increased for the eleventh consecutive year and reached a record high of 42.3 million tonnes. This is the fastest rate of containerboard expansion in 25 years, and as a result of increases and decreases in other grades, containerboard share of total paper and paperboard capacity exceeded 50 percent for the first time in 2021, notes AF&PA.

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Moreover, the boxboard capacity has surged 0.6 percent in 2021, outshining a long-term trend of a 0.4 percent decline and following a 2.5 percent decline last year. The capacity of tissue papers has remained constant in 2021.