Graphics sector suffers from paper shortage

You’ve probably caught it before. Paper has become a scarce commodity worldwide. Demand for print is on the rise, which makes us happy, because print media is growing and thriving again. But there is also a downside, as commodity prices have risen internationally as a result.

Whence comes this shortfall?

We face a global shortage of raw materials on which we build, namely: paper, ink and aluminum. The paper pulp shortage comes from several directions. Transportation costs have skyrocketed, resulting in less paper being imported. Wood fiber is hard to come by because of the high demand for wood from the construction industry, and the popularity of online shopping is bringing with it a high demand for cardboard for packaging. Especially on recycled paper, this has an impact, because cardboard also uses waste paper.

Unfortunately, this problem will remain unresolved for some time. Factories saw the rising demand for paperboard coming earlier. Investments were made over the years in packaging machinery and cardboard production, but then suddenly the demand for paper rose again, and today paper producers’ capacity does not accommodate that.

Sleeping on two ears

We do everything we can so that you can sleep on both ears. Commonly used papers were pre-ordered and delivered to our stock as a precaution. The paper you had in mind not in stock? If that is the case, we will contact you and our printing experts will suggest an equivalent alternative.

Do you have questions about this or wish more detailed information about the situation? If so, be sure to contact your trusted contact at Buroform, or hello@buroform.be. We are very happy to talk to you!

Thank you for your understanding,

The Buroform team