Recently, the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA) released its September packaging paper and specialty packaging paper monthly report.

The report shows that compared with September 2020, the total shipments of packaging paper and specialty packaging paper in September 2021 decreased by 7% and increased by 1% compared with the nine months of the same period last year. The operating rate was 86.8%, a decrease of 4.5 percentage points from September 2020 and an increase of 3.4 percentage points from the beginning of the year. At the end of September, steel mill inventories decreased by 2,000 short tons compared with the previous month, which was basically the same as in September 2020.

About AF&PA

The American Forest and Paper Association promotes the sustainable development of the U.S. pulp, paper, packaging, tissue and wood products manufacturing industry through fact-based public policies and marketing campaigns. The member companies of the American Forest and Paper Association use renewable and recyclable resources to produce products that are essential in daily life, and are committed to continuous improvement and better practice through the industry's sustainable development plan.

The output value of the forest products industry accounts for about 4% of the total GDP of the US manufacturing industry. It produces nearly US$300 billion in products every year and employs nearly 950,000 employees. The industry’s total annual wages are approximately $60 billion, making it one of the top ten manufacturing employers in 45 states.