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Corrugated board as the No. 1 circular packaging in Austria

In 2022, the corrugated board industry in Austria achieved an increase in turnover of 21 per cent and continues to face the current challenges. 

The Austrian corrugated board industry has taken stock of the situation in the sector. According to Forum Wellpappe Austria, corrugated board is the No. 1 in recycled and transport packaging. In 2022, the industry achieved an increase in turnover of around 21 per cent and continues to face the current challenges. 

„2022 was characterised by market distortions as a result of the war in Russia against Ukraine, the energy crisis and an increasingly gloomy consumer climate. This was a major burden for the entire corrugated board industry. In particular, the extreme rise in the cost of energy and raw materials was a major challenge for domestic companies and required a high degree of flexibility.“

Stephan Kaar, Spokesman for Forum Wellpappe Austria

In terms of volume sales, the companies in the Forum Corrugated Board Austria In 2022, the company's production of 994.6 million square metres represents a decline of 6.1% compared to the previous year. Following the coronavirus catch-up year (2021: 1,059.1 million square metres), production has returned to pre-crisis levels. In the The domestic corrugated board industry achieved a 21.6 per cent increase in turnover in 2022: a total of EUR 739.8 million. „However, this increase was nowhere near enough to fully offset the extreme cost pressure on corrugated base paper, auxiliary materials and energy,“ explains Kaar. So the cost of corrugated base paper rose by over 50 per cent between the start of 2021 and autumn last year to.

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Criticism of the Green Deal

As part of their „Green Deal“, the EU Commission recently presented a draft for a new EU packaging regulation. „Although our industry expressly supports the overarching objectives of this proposal, our At its core, however, criticism is directed in particular against flat-rate reusable quotas“, says industry spokesperson Kaar. „Forum Wellpappe rejects the mandatory reusable quotas envisaged in the draft - 90 per cent for transport packaging for large household appliances from 2030 and 50 per cent for e-commerce packaging from 2040, as well as the general ban on fruit and vegetable packaging weighing up to 1.5 kilograms,“ says Kaar.

„The domestic corrugated board industry will continue to be a attractive employer and scores with excellent future prospects,“ says Franz Grafendorfer from Forum Wellpappe Austria. The number of employees rose slightly last year to just under 2,000. Every year, corrugated board companies train around 80 apprentices in 14 different professions.

„With its recyclable packaging, the corrugated cardboard industry makes an indispensable contribution to the smooth supply of many industries and to supplying the population,“ says Grafendorfer. Sustainability is also becoming more and more of a focus here. Food packaging remains the most important product group at just under 46 per cent, followed by machinery, furniture, electronic parts and automotive with 18 per cent. According to industry estimates, the share of shipping packaging for logistics and e-commerce is around 10 per cent.

Source: Forum Corrugated Board Austria

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