Abitibi-Consolidated presses uncoated freesheet makers with a new offset offering

Abitibi-Consolidated added a latest brand to its 'offset' suite of higher brightness uncoated mechanical papers with the launch of Innovative Offset paper, which the company said has a brightness level of 81 and a whitenesses of 90. The company said the paper is chlorine-free and requires 50% less wood fiber than commodity offset, and can deliver up to 20% in savings due to its lighter basis weight than uncoated freesheet. Other north American suppliers such as Bowater, Norpac, Kruger, and Catalyst also market offset substitute products. The market is growing at close to 20% a year, and Abitibi-Consolidated expects it to reach a 1.0 million mtpy by 2010 in North America.