Paper Shortage In Europe and The United States: New Books are Postponed and Paper Towels are Also Snapped Up

The world has been plagued by paper shortages in recent months.

There are many news that can be confirmed. For example, British newspapers are starting to become thinner and the number of pages is beginning to decrease; the United States may face a "paper shortage" in the printing of ballot papers in the next few years; Indian newspapers have taken various measures to save paper; Western academic publishers frequently postpone new books publishing.

There are many reasons for the shortage of paper around the world. As far as the European and American markets are concerned, the main reasons include the energy shortage caused by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and Western sanctions, as well as the cut-off of Russian timber; supply chain chaos related to the new crown epidemic, and high barriers to entry in the paper industry, low profit margins, and worker strikes in factories in some related industries.

Frustratingly, this situation is unlikely to improve much anytime soon. Because Russia is an important source of European timber. Walter Sharka, CEO of Suzano SA, the world’s largest pulp producer, said that due to the escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the timber trade between Russia and Europe has been completely blocked, and Russian timber has also lost Global certification, which means that the production capacity of pulp producers in Europe, especially northern Europe, will be greatly limited.