CEPI is an association representing the European pulp and paper industry with a membership of approximately 895 pulp, paper and board mills in the 18 EU member states. In the report to the European Commission, CPEI states: Reducing the functioning of our industry is a real threat to our competitiveness in the global marketplace. Our industry has been facing high energy costs since the summer of 2021. For a few months now, we have seen energy prices continue to be high, even increasing by as much as 8 times. Existing forecasts suggest conditions are unlikely to improve in the coming months. The lasting impact of the ongoing war crisis and the recent collapse of the energy system is deeply worrying. It jeopardizes our industrial presence in Europe, let alone the ability to invest in further industrial transformation by 2030 to meet climate goals.

The CPEI appealed to the European Commission, expecting the European policy framework to promote a series of solutions such as “guaranteing the supply of natural gas for industrial use, introducing a gas reserve scheme, and ensuring a cost-effective natural gas supply”: Pressing the pause button for the entire European paper industry is a terrible blow to the industry. In the next few days, the paper packaging industry, toilet and medical paper products, and even the newspaper and book industries will face a production crisis.

According to Bruno Zago, CEO of Italy’s PRO-GEST Paper Group, according to the current energy price, not only can companies not make a profit in producing a ton of paper, they will also lose money. From March 1, the cost per ton of paper has increased by 50 euros, and after March 15, it will increase by another 100 euros to 750 euros, he said. Before the energy crisis, the production cost of a ton of recycled paper was only 300 euros.