India continues as the fastest growing paper market in the world led by significant growth in the consumption of packaging paper and paperboard. According to latest market estimates published by Indian Paper Manufacturers Association (IPMA) for 2023-24, packaging paper and paperboard is growing at an annual rate of 8.2% in the country.
Currently the domestic packaging paper and paperboard market stands at about 15 million metric tonnes which is nearly 65% of the total paper, paperboard and newsprint market of 23 million metric tonnes in the country in 2023-24. Demand for better quality packaging of FMCG products, textiles, pharmaceuticals, etc., booming e-commerce, rising healthcare spends, over-the-counter medicines, increasing preference for packaged ready-to-eat foods is leading to rising demand for packaging paper & paperboard. The ban on single-use plastic, with paper offering a sustainable environment-friendly option, has also emerged as a key demand driver for paperboard & packaging paper.
Writing & printing (W&P) paper market, which is traditionally associated with consumption of paper in the country is growing at around 3%. Within W&P paper, copier paper is growing at the fastest rate of 4.5%. Currently W&P paper accounts for nearly one fourth of the total domestic paper, paperboard and newsprint market.
The fastest growth of 13.3% per annum is being exhibited by the tissue segment, aided by increased awareness about health & hygiene, a characteristic of a growing economy. Tissue is followed by cupstock growing at 10.5%. However, both tissue and cupstock have relatively smaller market size together accounting for about 4% share in total domestic consumption.
Overall, the demand for paper in India is growing at 6-7% per annum, making it one of the fastest growing markets in the world.
Per capita paper consumption in India is currently at a low of 16 kgs, while the global average is 57 kgs. Developed countries have 200+ kgs of per capita consumption of paper.
“Per capita paper consumption in India is projected to increase over time with increasing levels of literacy, higher growth of organised retail and need for packaging, and overall economic development”, said Pawan Agarwal, president of IPMA.
India’s share in world production of paper is about 5% (5th largest producer in the world), with estimated production of around 22 million tonnes per annum in 2023-24.
Paper is uniquely placed to offer an environmentally sustainable alternative as it is biodegradable, recyclable and is produced from sources which are renewable and sustainable. Paper can be recycled up to 6-7 times, making it one of the most recycled products in the world.
