In December 2017, when China's packaging paper factory opened the last round of price rises in the year, similar price rises were also in progress in distant Europe.
Earlier this month, DS Smith group was the first to announce a 50 euro/ton increase in the price of recycled fiber packaging sold in Europe.
Then Industria Cartaria Pieretti (ICP), an Italian firm, announced that the price of its packaging had risen by 50 euro/ton.
Last week, the price increase was also implemented in large enterprises. First sonoco-alcore S.A.R.L. announced that the price of all packaging cardboard sold in central Europe increased by 50 euro/ton after January 1, 2018.
This week, another big firm, Smurfit Kappa, announced plans to increase the price of packaging paper sold in all European markets by 60 euros/ton from January 15, 2018.
Since 2017, the demand for corrugated cardboard in the European market has expanded, while fiber materials and energy costs are rising. European prices have bounced back to their highs after falling in October. Industry experts predict that prices will rise strongly in the first quarter of 2018, reaching a record high. They also predict that in 2018, the global packaging market will be operating at a high price, driven by demand from e-commerce and environmental policies, and that prices are likely to hit new highs in different regions.
European packaging paper is driven by the Chinese market. In 2017, the European carton enterprises that have invested in factories in China have begun to consider more options to import the original paper from Europe.
