The volume of paper production in France is steadily declining due to a sharp drop in demand for paper for printing, according to recent statements, made by some leading French analysts in the field of paper business and local media reports.
Currently the French pulp and paper industry consists of 74 companies, 84 factories and 126 paper machines. In total, the industry employs more than 10,000 people and has a turnover of about 4.7 billion euros.
Paper and paperboard production in France has declined by more than 22% since 2010, amounting to 6.9 million metric tons in 2021. In France, as in other countries of the EU, the main reason for this decline was a sharp drop in demand for printing paper. In 2005, graphic paper accounted for 45% of the total paper production in France, however the ongoing digitalization of the country has led to the fact that its share has fallen to 17%. In comparison, the share of paper packaging production increased from 44% to 64% during this period and is now the main type of paper and paperboard produced in France. The share of tissue paper in total paper production has also increased from 7% to 12% since 2005.
Still, the government of the country including the country’s President Emmanuel Makron plans to take additional measures for the support of the domestic paper sector.