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Can paper survive in the digital era?

2min read 30/01/2017

The first predictions of a paperless world were boldly made in the 1970s and predicted complete digitisation during the 1990s. However, if we look at any company, regardless of its size, it is more than clear that we are a long way from full digitalisation and a paperless world.

So what is the reality of paper consumption?

According to figures published on the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers website, the amount of paper and cardboard produced worldwide is on the rise, although in the US and Europe a slight decline in production continues. 2014 was a record year for global paper production, reaching 406.5 million tonnes.

Globally, China is the largest producer and consumer of both paper and paperboard. It produced 25% and consumed 26% of the world’s paper and paperboard production in 2014, a record year. The United States was second, Japan third and Germany fourth.

Globally, the amount of paper consumed per person is even rising. Over the last 5 years, this figure has increased from 47 kg to 57 kg of paper per year. So paper is definitely not dying out.

The good news is that it is not only paper production that is increasing, but also paper recycling. Its recycling rate has increased by almost 20 percentage points over the last 15 years in Europe, reaching 71.5% in 2015.

Nor is it true that paper production is causing mass destruction of forests. According to data from the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI), only 13% of harvested wood is used in the paper industry.

Paper and its old-new place in the digital world

Paper has both a classic and an innovative place in the business world. Almost half of the paper produced is used in the packaging industry and more than a third as graphic paper. However, the modern world also brings new uses for paper. A perfect example is multimedia cardboard, which has a built-in HD screen with sound. Such packaging could not only protect products in the future, but also help to educate.

Digitisation does not kill paper, it just minimises its unnecessary waste. We believe that there will be more and more companies that see the trees behind the paper.
Môže papier prežiť digitálnu éru?

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