Technology and the outlook for paper

The long term demand for paper continues to grow faster than the economy as a whole, both in Europe and throughout world, despite intense competition from new media and materials, such as electronics and plastics, and public concern about the impact of paper on the environment This growth in consumption of paper is remarkable as if approaches its third millennium of service to society. Undoubtedly the growth in demand for paper has been driven by the decline of unit cost of paper, resulting from the application of technology to the papermaking process. Advanced technology has improved productivity enabling production units to become larger, faster, more sophisticated and more specialised. Technology has enabled new methods and materials to be used and improved products to be developed. As a result, papermaking for most grades has transformed into a global, large-scale and concentrated industry. An important question is always: What is the optimum size of production units?.