Decline from peak year 2010-2011 is offset by increased share of paper from Australian Paper’s local mills even as overall demand continues to track south.
According to the 27th annual edition of IndustryEdge’s Pulp & Paper Strategic Review, printing and communication papers are under constant pressure for falling demand a depreciated Australian dollar and sharp rises in global pulp prices. Keen competition from the local producer also made imports less attractive.
Last year imports fell by 5.5% compared to the year before. Since peaking at 1.090 million tonnes in 2010-2011, imported printing paper has dropped to 621,000 tonnes.
At the peak imports accounted for close to 80% of total consumption of printing & communication grades, other than newsprint . Last year they accounted for less than 63%.
The figures are taken from the Review, which is a comprehensive analysis of Australia and New Zealand’s pulp, paper, paper products and related industries. According to publisher Tim Woods, the industry bible’s commentary and analysis is informed by IndustryEdge's field work and ongoing research program. The Pulp & Paper Strategic Review combines market detail with expert insight to provide a valuable and reliable business tool and will be available in the first week of October.
The Review details all relevant manufacturing, imports, exports and distribution and end use markets within Australia and New Zealand, for the decade up to and including 2017-18. A full chapter describes the industry context from a macro and trend perspective, lighting up the pathways to the future. It includes new trend consumption forecasts for the next five years for all major grades.
The printing and communications papers section focuses on all grades of paper, all markets and end uses, production, imports and exports. This section includes detailed coverage of office and writing papers in Australia. It analyses the latest developments for catalogue and magazine papers