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Corrugated Basis Weight Gap Widens between U.S. and EU

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Average basis weights of corrugated are now 20% lighter in Europe than in the U.S., according to a new study by RISI, Brussels, Belgium, titled The Future of Lightweight Containerboard in North America. This reflects a proactive cultural change in Europe, with sustainability high on the agenda and government environmental initiatives with targets and penalties for non-compliance implemented across the supply chain and supported by trade groups and NGOs, RISI notes.

 Sarilee Norton, author of the study and industry expert, says that "a critical look at the geographic factors, the fiber considerations, and the supply chain drivers that distinguish Europe from North America are not different enough to continue to explain a 20% differential in average basis weights. Sustainability, packaging efficiency, and cost savings are vitally important considerations to North American corrugated users as well as those in Europe."

Since 2000 only three new machines have been built in North America, compared with 32 in Europe. Modern machines, or conversions of existing machines, can produce extra-lightweight containerboard (under 26 lb) more quickly and economically. Many corrugators currently operating in North America are fully capable of running extra-lightweight constructions, and an analysis of current North American and European containerboard machine capabilities is included in the study. The evolution of 'lightweighting', including the technology developments of board machines, corrugators, and converting capabilities, provides the containerboard producer and converter perspectives in the study, alongside what the trend towards lighter basis weights means for end-users.

The containerboard market is customer-driven and with the largest global retailer, Walmart, aiming to reduce 5% of packaging across its supply chain by 2013, the report anticipates that the 'lightweighting' trend will continue, providing an opportunity for corrugators that invest in modern machines that offer the speed, quality, and versatility needed, to help their customers realize their packaging strategies. The Future of Lightweight Containerboard in North America provides a detailed analysis of the trend towards 'lightweighting', a history of corrugated, and capacity forecasts of the North American Containerboard market until 2014.

 

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