China invests to meet booming paper demand
Paper was invented in China during the Han Dynasty in 105 AD and in 740 AD the first newspaper was printed there. Through trade and war the skill made its way through the Middle East and into Europe where Johann Guttenberg invented the printing press in 1453. Now the material is everywhere.
Current global consumption of paper stands at 345 million tons, up from 300 million tons at the end of last year. In China, a country that is experiencing rapid growth in all areas – the label sector alone is growing at eight to 10 percent per annum – it is difficult to meet the demand for paper from domestic resources alone.
The nation’s domestic consumption of paper has risen 121 percent since 2000 and national demand probably surpassed 100 million tons in 2010. With the economy growing at 10 percent per year, it has been hard for the domestic Chinese forestry industry to keep up with demand, and pulp imports increased by over 43 percent between 2008-2009. By 2015 the country’s timber consumption is expected to reach 340 million square meters, over twice China’s annual production.