More expensive and thinner? Pulp deficiency can affect our toilet paper

In response to the sanctions imposed on Russia, Moscow has already decided that Russian birch wood can no longer leave the country. And it is precisely this wood that is extremely suitable for softening sanitary products. This is due to the short fibers of the wood.

The pulp disappears

As a result, approximately 800,000-1.2 million tonnes of pulp, the main constituent of paper, is expected to disappear from the market.

And toilet paper manufacturers are starting to notice this. This could drive up toilet paper prices and the product itself could become thinner. Especially since pulp prices have already risen by around 45% earlier this year. This is partly due to the fact that the costs for the energy-intensive paper-making process have skyrocketed.

The Belgian plant in Essity, where a lot of toilet paper is produced for the Dutch market, says it still has no problems. “We currently have no problem producing toilet paper,” spokesperson Gertie Eikenaar told RTL Nieuws. Whether that happens is a hypothesis. “It remains to be seen. But at the moment we are producing just like we did before the war.”

However, other factories have already expressed their concerns. “Buyers are asking too much of us,” said Leonardo Grimaldi, who oversees pulp sales at Suzano in Brazil, the world’s largest producer. Many manufacturers in Europe are now turning to the Brazilian company, but are no longer able to manage it.

Less soft toilet paper

Finnish paper and packaging manufacturer Stora Enso Oyj said that decreasing supplies to Russia forced it to change its composition and use long-staple pulp. This type of pulp makes the paper more resistant but at the expense of softness. And that pulp is more expensive.

All in all, the market will have to settle for 1.4 million tons less pulp than normal until September. Experts therefore predict that there will be a shortage in the pulp market until at least mid-2023. As a result, prices will only gradually drop when the factories currently under construction in Chile and Uruguay begin supplying next year.