China’s boxboard exports skyrocket and tap into critical demand growth markets
Global boxboard demand has advanced by 2-3% annually on average since the early years of the last decade, which compares favorably to many other segments of the pulp and paper industry that are stagnant or in decline.
Despite the steady global demand gains, China’s boxboard industry has experienced unprecedented production growth over the last decade. Explosive capacity expansion reversed the nation’s former trade deficit of boxboard to a surplus that exceeded 1 million tonnes in 2014. Growing Chinese boxboard shipments to critical markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East have proven disruptive to key virgin boxboard exporting regions like North America and Western Europe. These and other findings were recently published in the World Boxboard Study, a new analysis from RISI (risiinfo.com) – the leading information provider for the forest products industry.