European Database for Cartonboard and Carton Production 2023

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Data description
Questionnaire
Data collection for cartonboard
The data was collected via a bespoke questionnaire issued to the mills, requesting
information on the flows into and out of the mill. The questionnaire was designed to
cover the main inputs to and outputs from the integrated pulp and papermaking
processes, including the supporting ancillary processes such as energy production,
wastewater treatment, etc. The questionnaires were reviewed by technical experts and
the peer reviewer before issuing to the industry. The questionnaires were issued during
2022, and data was provided representative of production scenarios in 2021.
The data for FBB were collected from fourteen mills owned and operated by six different
companies, representing approximately 93% of the total production of this cartonboard
grade in Europe. These paper grades are produced in large mills, located in the
Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden and the UK. Their total
production was >3,000,000 tonnes net saleable paper in 2021. The mills each have an
annual production of FBB of between 50,000 and 350,000 tonnes net saleable paper.
The data for the production of SUB/SBB were collected from three mills owned and
operated by two different companies, representing approximately 62% of the total
production of this cartonboard grade in Europe. They were provided by paper mills in
Finland and Sweden. Their total production was >630,000 tonne saleable paper in 2021.
The mills each have an annual production of SUB/SBB of between 90,000 and 370,000
tonnes net saleable paper. The data for the production of SUB/SBB includes production
of coated, unbleached kraftboard.
As data from only three mills operated by two different companies is available for
SUB/SBB, for confidentiality reasons it is not possible to publish a separate life cycle
inventory for this grade. Therefore, a single inventory is published for virgin
cartonboard, which consists of both FBB and SUB/SBB, allowing for the relative
production of each grade.
The data for the production of WLC (recycled cartonboard) were collected from eight
mills owned and operated by two different companies, representing approximately 53%
of the total production of this cartonboard grade in Europe. They were provided by paper
mills in Austria, Italy, Germany, Slovenia and Spain. Their total production was
>2,100,000 tonne saleable paper in 2021. The mills each have an annual production of
WLC of between 150,000 and 525,000 tonnes net saleable paper.
For all cartonboard grades, data was collected covering the average market and
technology situation for the calendar year 2021. The collected data was sense-checked by
technical experts and compiled as a weighted average representing production of each
paper grade in 2021.
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