Top 8 Companies Dominating the Global Wood Pulp Market Landscape

The global wood pulp market size reached approximately USD 166.65 billion in 2023. The market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 2.7% between 2024 and 2032. As per the analysis by Expert Market Research, the market is expected to be driven by the increasing demand for paper products.

Wood pulp, made from the chemical of mechanical reduction of wood fibre is widely being used in the manufacture of paper and other products. The rising population and economic growth across the countries is significantly driving the market for paper and paperboard, further supporting the wood pulp market growth. The consumption of sanitary products such as tissues or menstrual pads, as well as cardboard for shipping goods, is increasing as countries grow their economies.

With the manufacturing sector shifting to Asia, the region reports the highest totals of pulp and paper output. China is a major manufacturer and consumer of paper and pulp goods. Over 280 million tons of pulp and paper products were produced in China alone in 2022. Paper and cardboard products are essential for many different businesses in China, and demand for them is rising along with increasing disposable income. In addition, the growth of industries like food delivery services and e-commerce is meeting consumer demand for paper and cardboard packaging, which is supporting the wood pulp market expansion. China produced 124.25 million tons of paper and cardboard in 2022, a rise of 2.64% from the previous year.

Figure: Total Pulp Production by Country in Europe: 2021

In May 2024, Irving Pulp & Paper announced a major upgrade to its pulp mill in Saint John, New Brunswick, (Canada). The potential investment of USD 1.1 billion will increase the mill's PRODUCTION capacity and also will increase the green energy it generates, making it one of the top-producing kraft pulp mills on a global scale and a global leader in environmental performance.

In September 2023, Metsä Group announced the company is beginning to start up its new pulp mill in Kemi and raise the kraftliner capacity at the adjacent paper mill.

Top 8 Wood Pulp Companies in the World:

Celulosa Arauco y Constitucion S.A.

ARAUCO is a global company with operations across 5 continents, reaching more than 4,300 customers through 223 ports. ARAUCO Cellulose provides cellulose, engineering products, coated boards, bare boards, woods and mouldings. The cellulose provided by the company is being widely applied as a raw material for the manufacture of paper, packaging material, and diapers, among others.

Södra

Södra is an economic association made up of 53,000 forest owners in southern Sweden. The company has the presence of 3,000 employees, working in in areas that range from forestry management and environmental conservation to accounting, sales, and product development. The three business groups of the company are producing sawn timber goods, paper pulp and biofuel. The company’s softwood products (NBSK) are branded in three groups called Södra black, Södra blue and Södra green.

Suzano S.A.

Suzano is among the largest pulp producers in the world and is considered the largest paper manufacturer in Latin America and the leader in the toilet paper market in Brazil. The company produces products including packaging paper, books, straws and cups, sanitary pads and toilet paper. The company boasts a pulp production capacity of 13.45 million tonnes per year. Also, the company has a paper production capacity of 1.5 million tonnes and 280.00 tonnes of production capacity of hygiene items per year.

Empresas CMPC SA

Empresas CMPC is a renowned group in the pulp and paper industry on a global scale. The company sells locally and exports forest products, pulp, paper, tissue and paper products to over 50 countries.  The company has industrial operations in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico. The four factories (three located in southern Chile and one in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) produces 2.5 million tons annually.

Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL)

Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Ltd (APRIL), is a member of RGE Group, employing more than 70,000 people. The company’s pulp and paper mill located at Pangkalan Kerinci in Riau Province Indonesia produces up to 4 million tons of pulp and 1.15 million tons of paper per year. The company has 1 million hectares of land, of which approximately 450,000 hectares is used for plantations. The remaining 51% is set aside for conservation, community use and infrastructure.

Metsä Group

The parent company of Metsa Group, Metsäliitto, is a co-operative owned by more than 90,000 Finnish forest owners. Metsa Group has an annual wood procurement of 33.9 million metre square and produces 100% traceable wood. The company is primarily engaged in producing pulp, paperboard, wood products, sawn timber, and tissue papers and greaseproof papers. Renewable wood from northern forests is the key raw material used in Metsä Group’s products.

UPM-Kymmene Corporation

The company provides its products and services through ix business areas: UPM Fibres, UPM Energy, UPM Raflatac, UPM Specialty Papers, UPM Communication Papers and UPM Plywood. UPM employs 16,600 people worldwide and annual sales are reported at about EUR 10.5 billion. The company’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. The company has production in 11 countries and has a sales network across six continents.

Georgia-Pacific LLC

Georgia-Pacific and its subsidiaries are among the top manufacturers and marketers of bath tissue, paper towels and napkins, tableware, paper-based packaging, cellulose, specialty fibres and building products. The company conducts its operations in 150 facilities and has a workforce of about 30,000 people directly and also creates more than 89,000 jobs indirectly. Some of the popular brands of the company include Quilted Northern bath tissue, Brawny paper towels, Dixie cups and more.