French consumption of paper and cardboard is estimated at between 8 and 9 million tonnes The global paper market, valued at over $837 billion in 2020, is expected to exceed $1,000 billion in 2024, with Asia-Pacific accounting for 35% of market share in 2020, ahead of North America. Despite a 7% drop in sales due to the health crisis in 2020, the French paper industry has recovered in 2021. France has always had a negative trade balance for paper. French paper and cardboard consumption fell sharply in 2020, the majority being used for packaging (56.9%). The health crisis led to higher prices for paper imports and longer delivery times. the industry's main players are International Paper, Smurfit Kappa, DS Smith and Saica. The paper market in France The market underwent a major shift in the 1990s due to environmental concerns, and has adapted, in particular with the growing switch to recycled paper as a substitute for plastic packaging. Recycled paper is an important raw material for pap
