Corona (Covid-19) has caused the turnover of PaperWise copy paper to drop by 50% among our existing customers! This is logical, as environmentally responsible PaperWise copy paper is mainly supplied to companies where employees have now started working from home. However, this decline in turnover also leads to environmental gains and increased demand for sustainability!
We took a closer look and compared a number of figures with last year. Since our founding in 2015, we have been supplying sustainable PaperWise copying and printing paper to more than 100 customers at home and abroad. In this comparison, we do not include the wholesalers who sell our environmentally friendly copying and printing paper. It turns out that the turnover of PaperWise copy paper has, on average, halved among existing customers due to the Corona measures. This is explainable; many employees work from home and do not take the copy paper with them from work. In fact, we wonder if Corona might have provided the final push towards a paperless office. Although, as far as we are concerned, it would be a nice gesture of good employership if employees were given the opportunity to take printing paper from the office home with them.
Until 2010, the market for graphic paper types in Europe was still growing. This includes paper for books, magazines, brochures, letterheads, envelopes, but also copying and printing paper (Source: CEPI Key Statistics). From 2010 onwards, we see the European market for graphic paper shrinking rapidly. In 2019, the market had shrunk by 40% compared to 2010. The main cause lies in digitalization. We read the news digitally. Brochures have been replaced by websites. Invoices and flyers are sent by email, and copying and printing behavior is changing. On an annual basis, this represents a contraction of nearly 4.5% per year. In that context, a 50% reduction in turnover for copying and printing paper (among existing customers) in just a few months is an enormous amount.
Let’s look at it positively, because at PaperWise we believe in the power of positive thinking. From day one, we have stated on the front of the packaging of sustainable PaperWise copy paper: “Nature knows no waste. Together we turn waste into beautiful paper. If possible, use less paper. If you use paper, choose for PaperWise”. At PaperWise, we are therefore pleased that Corona is having a positive effect in this area and is causing paper consumption to drop significantly. It contributes to our mission to make the world a little more beautiful. Even though PaperWise is the most sustainable copying and printing paper, not using something is still better!
Despite the decline in turnover of PaperWise copying and printing paper (among existing customers) due to the Corona crisis, we see that the market has fully embraced sustainability. More and more people and companies realize that sustainability is no longer a hype, but the new normal. The demand for information and samples for sustainable packaging and printing has never been greater. PaperWise continues to grow strongly in 2020. At the end of the third quarter of 2020, we were once again able to help 35% more customers compared to the previous year in achieving their sustainability goals. We are extremely proud of this and very happy about it. Contributing positively to a better world together!
Are you also curious about how you can make a positive contribution to a better world by choosing PaperWise paper and paperboard? Do you want to know how agricultural residues become raw materials for high-quality paper? Are you open to shaping a circular economy together? Would you like to make copy paper available for your employees at home? Please feel free to contact us or request a sample pack containing all PaperWise paper types. We are happy to help you.
