US recovered paper exports, value down through most of 2023

U.S. exports of recovered paper decreased in both volume and value from January to November 2023 compared with the same period in 2022, according to the latest figures from the Paper Stock Industries (PSI) chapter of the Washington-based Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) and the U.S. International Trade Commission.

The report shows recovered paper exports from the U.S. totaled 12.1 million metric tons from January to November, down 17.4 percent by volume compared with the same period in 2022, while the value of those exports dropped nearly 30 percent to $2.29 billion.

On a month-to-month basis, however, U.S. exports showed signs—albeit slight—of a potential rebound. Exports in November 2023 equaled about 1.1 million metric tons, up 4.3 percent from October 2023, while the October total was 3.5 percent higher than the September 2023 total.

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India remains the top buyer of U.S. recovered paper, though it still is importing 30 percent fewer tons compared with the January to November period in 2022. As of November 2023, India had imported 2.3 million metric tons, the first time the country imported fewer than 3 million metric tons of U.S. recovered paper since 2020, according to figures from the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Thailand, Mexico, Vietnam and Malaysia round out the top five importers of U.S. recovered paper. Mexico had the second-largest decline in imports during the period, with its 1.6 million metric tons representing a 24.2 percent decrease from the same period in 2022, and of the top 10 importers of U.S. recovered paper, only Thailand and Malaysia report net gains, with 22 percent and 13 percent increases, respectively.

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Total recovered paper imported by the top 10 destinations during the January to November period was 11.5 million metric tons, down 13.5 percent from the 13.3 million metric tons imported during the same period in 2022, while the rest of the world took in 609,073 metric tons, down considerably (55.2 percent) from the 1.4 million metric tons during January-November 2022.