As the association of the German paper industry reported in early May, the recovery following the Covid years has come to a standstill. In fact, the key figures of the industry are said to be worse than they have been for a long time. In 2023, production output decreased by around 14% to 18.6 million tonnes, which is the lowest level of the past 20 years. According to the association, sales, too, fell by 27% to €15.5 billion.
This negative trend continued in the first quarter of 2024, with sales being down by 14.1%. At the same time, the costs of pulp and waste paper are rising.
