The Association of Swiss Paper, Cardboard and Film Manufacturers (SPKF) continues to locate the Swiss paper industry in a difficult market environment. While demand for graphic papers remains in decline, companies are increasingly investing in packaging applications. One example is the strategic realignment of Perlen Industrieholding towards speciality papers for flexible packaging and recyclable paper bottles.
According to the SPKF, the Swiss paper industry was burdened in 2025 by weak demand in Europe, high energy and production costs, and the strong Swiss franc. Nevertheless, sustainable packaging solutions in particular proved to be a growth area. Consequently, the Model Group increased its consolidated turnover by 8.6 percent to 936 million Swiss francs. The production of packaging papers reached a new high of 771,000 tonnes., while the volume of corrugated board packaging grew by 3.6 per cent.
Focus on packaging papers and paper bottles
The Pearl Industries Holding is responding with a strategic realignment to declining demand for graphic papers, according to SPKF. In the future, the focus will be on the production of special papers for flexible packaging, particularly for food and label applications. In addition, the company has secured production rights for recyclable paper bottles in collaboration with Pulpex. The paper fibre-based bottles are intended to have a lower carbon footprint than glass. Production is slated to start in 2027. At the same time, Perlen Papier AG is undergoing restructuring and cut around 60 jobs in 2025. Revenue and sales declined by just under 15 percent.
Packaging papers hold their own
Industry statistics show that Swiss paper mills delivered a total of 904,331 tonnes of paper and board in 2025. This represents a decrease of 5.8 percent compared to the previous year. While newsprint papers declined by 13.4 percent and other graphic papers by 13.2 percent, packaging papers, at 424,395 tonnes, remained nearly at the previous year's level. Hygiene papers also developed stably.
The SPKF also highlights the importance of paper recycling for the circular economy. The utilisation rate of recycled paper in Swiss paper mills rose to 97.4 percent in 2025. At the same time, the collection rate stood at 84.5 percent.
Source: SPKF
