Total production in 2018 reached 92.2 million tonnes. 2018 saw new capacities coming on stream but also closures. Combined with the upgrade of existing machines, this translated in a net capacity increase of 1.3 million tonnes. The structural divergence in the production trends for graphic grades and packaging grades was confirmed in 2018. The overall production of graphic grades fell by around 3.6%, with the highest decrease of 8.9% recorded in newsprint, used mainly for daily newspapers. Based on the first 9 month cumulative data, it is expected that paper and board deliveries for the year remained unchanged compared to 2017, mirroring production stability in Europe.
The overall consumption of paper and board in CEPI countries in 2018 increased by around 0.5% compared to 2017, based on the latest data available. This is the 5th year in a row registering growth, thanks to the favourable economic environment in the EU and at global level. The production of pulp (integrated + market) has increased by 0.5% compared to the previous year, with total output of approximately 38.0 million tonnes. Output of mechanical and chemical pulp has increased by around 0.3% and 0.6% respectively compared to 2017. Output of market pulp showed a stronger increase of 4.6%, as a consequence of substantial investments in new capacities and growing demand. The utilisation of paper for recycling by CEPI members increased by around 0.4% compared to 2017 level to reach 48.5 million tonnes.
