Packaging / Advertising & Office

According to foreign media reports, the EU's waste paper exports to third countries have fallen by half in the past four years, and the downward trend continues.

In the first half of this year, EU member states’ exports to third countries hit their lowest level in 18 years. The accelerated decline in the past four years can be explained by two main factors: China's tightening of import controls, and the impact of the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic on trade and economic activities.

According to the export data released by Eurostat on September 15, in the first six months of 2021, the 27 EU member states exported a total of 2.28 million tons of waste paper to countries outside the single market. This is only slightly more than half of the 4.04 million tons of exports reported in the first half of 2017. The main reason for this sharp drop is the sharp drop in China's import demand.

Until a few years ago, China was by far the most important European buyer to recycle paper, but strict import regulations and the implementation of the "Green Fence" and "National Sword Initiative" led to a significant reduction in EU exports to China, and finally in 2021 Cancel the import of waste paper.