Annual Conference 2022: VBP emphasises importance of paper, board and cardboard for the economic system
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On the occasion of its annual conference, the Verband Bayerischer Papierfabriken e. V. (VBP) emphasises the importance of the industry for the basic supply and warns against an energy embargo.
Jürgen Schaller, Chairman of the Board of VBP, explains: "Only competitive companies create employment and prosperity, secure our social and educational systems and keep our society resilient. A strong democracy needs a strong industry. But a strong industry needs a stable energy supply at competitive prices."
According to VBP, the paper industry has relied on natural gas as a bridging technology on the way to decarbonisation. The total fuel input is 58 per cent. Schaller explains: "The goal is to become independent of Russia in the medium term. In terms of realpolitik, however, we have to be guided by facts: Only 10 to 15 per cent of the natural gas used in the paper industry could technically be replaced by coal or oil in the short term in the event of an embargo. In the extremely challenging combination of the energy turnaround and the security turnaround, we need a clear legal framework in order to be able to fulfil our supply mandate. Because without us, without paper, cardboard and paperboard, not one screw gets from A to B, no chip is inserted into a control system, no package reaches its destination."
According to VBP, the current developments hit the industry in a catch-up phase after the pandemic. In 2021, it recorded a production increase of 8.3 per cent in Germany and 6.2 per cent in Bavaria. Sales in Bavaria rose by around 12 percent to 2.6 billion euros in 2021, but were not quite able to return to pre-pandemic levels. Paper and cardboard for packaging and print media are currently in high demand. However, the exorbitant cost increases in energy, raw materials and logistics are posing major challenges for the paper industry. Schaller explains: "The prices for waste paper, the most important raw material in terms of volume, have already doubled on average in 2021 compared to the previous year." Schaller made an urgent appeal: "Sanctions should not hit your own economy, but that of the aggressor. No gas embargo - otherwise the proverbial tide will turn for our industry."
