Canadian Industrial Outlook:Paper Products—Autumn 2017

Financial Performance—Strong price gains across several paper product categories have provided a significant boost to industry revenues. Even without any notable increase in production levels, the industry’s financial position is now in its best shape since 2001.

Foreign Pulp Capacity Coming Online—New pulp mills in Indonesia, Brazil, and Finland have recently started production or are expected to do so in the near term. This will add considerably to the global supply of pulp, which will threaten the export outlook for Canadian pulp-exporting firms.

Print Outpacing E-Book Sales—The recent surge in the popularity of adult colouring books has boosted print book sales, which have outperformed e-book sales in several countries, including Canada. While the positive momentum in print sales may be short-lived, it is likely helping shore up demand for both coated and uncoated papers.