Report Examines Development of China's Paper Industries
- Published: July 27, 2011
JAKARTA, INDONESIA | Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), among the leading manufacturers of paper in China, has invested in new technology as China’s government forces inefficient, high-polluting paper mills to close.
The company’s second quarter “Paper Contract with China Report” examines the development of China’s paper industries and highlights China’s increasing prominence in the global paper industry and environmental achievements including the following:
• China’s output of paper and cardboard products grew 170% between 2001 and 2009. Fuelling the fast growth rate is very high market demand in China: the consumption of paper and cardboard in China reached over 85 million tons in 2009, an increase of almost 50 million tons compared with 2001.
• China is forcing the paper industry to clean up its operations. For example, China has lowered, by 46% its Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) standards on water emissions, a critical environmental index of the paper industry. The average volume of COD emitted from APP-China’s major paper mills in 2010 was one third of the national standard.
China has surpassed the US to become the world’s #1 paper manufacturing country, with world leading technologies particularly in producing newsprint, coated paper and tissue products. As well, says the APP report, growth in China’s paper industry has led several nations to protect their own paper manufacturers by imposing artificial levies and tariffs. In May this year, the European Union levied both anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on imports of Coated Fine Paper (CFP) from China. This reportedly was the first time the EU had imposed such levies on China’s products. In the same period, Brazil implemented significantly more stringent import licensing requirements, directly targeted on 17 manufacturing industries including paper. Last year, the US Intl. Trade Commission imposed anti-dumping and countervailing duties on certain types of coated paper manufactured in China.
All these trade conflicts appear to indicate that those countries traditionally strong in the paper industry have increasing concerns about the rapidly-developing paper industry in China, says the APP report.
Despite the competitive concern, however, China’s paper manufacturers have been widely acknowledged for their significant contribution to environmental protection. “APP-China is proud to be part of the story,” said Sophy Huang, public relations director from APP-China. “We have invested very heavily in cutting-edge technologies to make our production as efficient as possible and minimize impact on the environment. By the end of 2010, APP-China had invested more than 5.5 billion RMB (USD $846 million) in environmental protection, substantially reducing our CO2 footprint and the amount of water used in the manufacturing process.”
What may be even more surprise to some, Dr. Cao Zhenlei, president of the China National Pulp and Paper Research Inst., was quoted to comment at the 16th International Symposium on Wood, Fiber and Pulping Chemistry held in Tianjin in June 2011: “China’s paper industry has the world’s most stringent emission standards. Our standards are not only stricter than those of West Europe, but even exceed North America’s by 20 years.”
Click here for a copy of the APP report.
