Paper Recycling Chemicals Market

Paper Recycling Chemicals Market: Overview

The Paper Recycling Chemicals Market is valued at USD 22.3 Bn in 2026 and is projected to reach USD 28.2 Bn,  growing at a CAGR of 3% by 2033.There will be a tremendous demand for paper products like newspapers, packaging, and writing paper as urbanization and the middle class expand along with literacy rates in developing nations like India, China, and Brazil. The demand for plastic packaging will decline as consumer tastes shift toward practical packaging options and sustainability, which will boost the paper and paperboard industry.

The obligation for rising productivity and quality of the paper has resulted in increasing demand for paper & pulp industry chemical additives. Recycled or recovered paper fiber gives economic and ecological benefits. Also, the recycling of paper reduces the greenhouse gas emission from landfilled paper and also saves landfill space. Recycling paper is generally a cleaner production process and cuts the generation of waste. Pulping, screening, centrifugal cleaning, deinking, refining, and papermaking are all steps in the recycling process. At the time of pulping and flotation deinking process, chemicals are majorly used. Example of a few chemicals which are used in the recycling paper process includes surfactants and soaps, sodium hydroxide, chelating agents, sodium silicate, fatty acids, and hydrogen peroxide. Similar to how chemicals are used to help agglomerate ink particles, serve as a dispersant, act as a pH buffering agent, and are coagulation collectors to aid ink flotation processes, this chemical is crucial to the recycling of paper.

In Europe, almost 57 million tonnes of paper are gathered for recycling. And every year, the collection rate rises and surpasses 50%. Furthermore, recycled paper meets more than 50% of Europe's needs for raw materials. Newsprint is the most significant use of recycled paper, followed by packaging goods. Abingdon officials said in January that only town residents would have access to curbside recycling. Beginning in 2018, practically all forms of recycling, including blended paper and blended plastic, were no longer accepted in China and Hong Kong, two of the biggest markets for plastic and paper waste. The only real alternative, however, is for a new recycling business to handle plastic and paper for numerous towns. It is projected that the waste paper recycling sector will be impacted.

Paper Recycling Chemicals Market: COVID-19 Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly changed the status of the chemical and materials industry and had a detrimental effect on the expansion of the market for recycled paper. The implementation of measures to combat the spread of the virus aggravated the situation and impacted the growth of several industrial sectors. The unexpected distortion had damaged industries such as automotive and packing in operational efficiencies and disruptions in the value chains attributed to the quick closure of national and international boundaries. The significant decline in the growth of several industrial sectors significantly impacted the demand for recycled paper in the global market. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the market has had a negative impact on its production due to factory shutdowns across the globe.  This pandemic is forecast to affect the recycled paper market at a moderate level, and the market is likely to recover in the next two to three quarters.

Paper Recycling Chemicals Market: Drivers

Government Regulations and Growing Initiatives to Drive Market Growth

There is considerable growth in demand for the recycled paper due to the expanding attempts of governments of various nations to encourage waste paper recycling. Recycled paper is only ever used in industrial applications, but it also includes newspaper, magazine, and packaging paper waste from homes. The generation of paper waste from these sources is very high, and this waste needs to be recycled rather than dumping it over or burning it. In the upcoming years, it is anticipated that the market for the recycled paper will grow fast due to the implementation of new rules by the government and the creation of new associations focused on recycled paper. Many organizations support the practice of recycling paper, including The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), Independent Waste Paper Processors Association (IWPPA), The Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI), and European Recovered Paper Association (ERPA). These organizations are helping the market for the recycled paper to expand.

Favorable Effects on the Environment Driving Market Growth

One of the most important characteristics of paper is its capacity for several recycling processes, which reduces the expense of creating new paper. Paper recycling is recognized to preserve natural resources, lower greenhouse gas emissions, preserve energy, and free up landfill space for other kinds of waste. Paper makes up around 28% of the solid waste in landfills, and a tonne of paper can fill up to 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Deforestation has several negative repercussions, including habitat damage and global warming. Recycling waste paper eliminates the need to produce virgin paper, which in turn lessens deforestation.  A tonne of recycled paper can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a metric tonne of carbon equivalent while also saving 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 7,000 gallons of water, and 4,000 KW of energy. Methane, which has the capability to trap heat 21 times greater than carbon dioxide, is produced when paper decomposes in landfills.

Paper Recycling Chemicals Market: Restraints

Expensive Equipment and Additional Costs to Hamper Market Growth

The high cost of equipment, ineffective waste-paper collection, and segregation systems, and intense rivalry from foreign competitors are the main obstacles in the paper recycling sector. A new trash recycling facility requires significant investment. The associated costs include purchasing various utility vehicles, improving the recycling unit, handling waste, disposing of chemicals, and educating the people by launching practical programs and seminars. Additionally, the entire recycling process involves health concerns for the committed individuals in charge of recycling these waste materials, in addition to producing significant pollutants. Additionally, when such waste materials are in touch with water, leachate is created, which ends up harming both water bodies and drinking water.

Paper Recycling Chemicals Market: Segment Overview

Containerboard to Dominate Market due to its Enormous Production

Due to its enormous production—more than 100 million tonnes are manufactured annually—the containerboard market is expected to expand. Wide-ranging uses in workplaces, families, schools and government organizations are responsible for the printing and writing paper market. Due to its use in printing newspapers and other publications, the newsprint paper segment is also anticipated to grow in market share.

Pre-consumer waste Dominated Market due to its Process

Pre-consumer waste represented a greater market share in 2021, and it is anticipated that it would expand more quickly over the course of the forecast period. Recycling before a product is delivered to a customer involves recovering waste materials produced during production or distribution. Materials from pre-consumer recycling can be disassembled and remanufactured into other materials, either comparable or dissimilar. Pre-consumer waste in the context of paper refers to the trimmings and scraps that were removed and thrown away during the cutting process. As a result, it is projected that the pre-consumer waste segment will have a possibility for growth in the years to come.

Paper Recycling Chemicals Market: Regional Landscape

Asia Pacific to Dominate Market due to Increasing Environmental Concerns and Government Regulations

During the projected period, the recycled paper market in the Asia Pacific is anticipated to develop at the highest CAGR. Manufacturing sectors include steel, mining and metallurgy, petrochemicals, oil & gas, food & beverage, and textile in several Asia Pacific nations, such as Australia, China, India, and Japan. In Asia, trash generation and management are important social and environmental problems due to the continent's rapid economic growth and urbanization. Each Asian nation has unique solid waste management and material-cycle policies. Due to their low cost, landfills are the most popular disposal method used in many Asian nations. Recently, legislation governing municipal solid waste has been introduced in many of the region's countries (MSW). The World Bank estimates that urban areas in APAC currently produce 760,000 tonnes of MSW daily, and that number will rise to 1.8 million tonnes by 2025. The potential market in the Asia Pacific is growing for goods like white and all colored paper, cardboard, newspaper, magazines, and brochures, as well as printed documents. As a result, the demand for recycled paper in the Asia Pacific is increasing, driving up market growth.

Due to its lower rates of paper recycling and poor penetration of paper recycling businesses, Latin America has a significant market opportunity for recycling paper. Aside from that, about 57 million tonnes of paper are collected throughout Europe for recycling purposes. Additionally, the collection rate is consistently rising and surpasses 50% yearly. Recycled paper also meets more than 50% of the demand for raw materials in Europe. The primary end use for recycled paper is newsprint, followed by packaging items. Saudi Arabia and the UAE will shortly outlaw plastic packaging, which will result in a significant increase in the demand for paper packaging throughout the MEA area. Growing demand will also increase the region's need for recycled paper.

Global Paper Recycling Chemicals Market: Competitive Landscape

Tetra Pak and Firefly Airlines collaborated to recycle the beverage-in-box packaging. The CEO, Philip See, said it will start with used beverage cartons and gradually move to more sustainable projects in the near future (UBCs). The UBC will be recycled and turned into new, useful products like recycled paper, furniture, and roofing tiles.

Few of the players in the Paper Recycling Chemicals Market include

• BASF SE
• Solvay SA
• Kemira Oyj
• Ecolab Inc.
• Clariant AG
• SNF Floerger (Solvay Group)
• Arkema S.A.
• Ashland Global Holdings Inc.
• DuPont de Nemours, Inc.
• Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
• Akzo Nobel N.V.
• Dow Inc.
• Solenis LLC
• Phoenix Chemical LLC
• KemConnect

Global Paper Recycling Chemicals Market is Segmented as Below:

By Product Type

• Pulping
• Deinking chemicals
• Stickies Control and removal
• Cleaning and degreasing

By Application

• Coagulation collector
• pH buffering agent
• Others

By Region

• North America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East and Africa