Germany: Surprisingly quiet start to the new year on the recovered paper market

This is surprising, as many market participants had expected a more significant decline in waste paper prices.

The holiday-related increase in volumes was weaker than in previous years and the decline in mills was not as sharp as expected. In addition, the impact of higher freight costs for overseas exports on the German market was still limited.

Prices on the German waste paper market had already fallen slightly by the end of the year. However, the decline in bulk grades was less pronounced than expected.