Russian printed paper market in 2024
Despite the proliferation of electronic media and books, print publications are still in demand.
Therefore, it is premature to speak of a crisis in the printed paper market. Below we will tell you about the main trends and prospects of the domestic market of printed paper.
Current situation in the printing paper market
The volume of paper production in Russia continues to grow. According to Rosstat, in the first nine months of 2024, the Russian Federation produced 7.9 million tonnes of paper and paperboard, which is almost 7% more than the figures for the same period last year. This is an excellent indicator, especially given the sanctions pressure and the closure of the European market to Russian producers. At the same time, domestic companies successfully reoriented their exports: paper deliveries to the Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern markets continue to increase, and they have also expanded their partnerships by entering the markets of Africa and Latin America.
A major achievement for the domestic paper industry was overcoming serious challenges related to the supply of papermaking components in 2022–2023. Back in 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, some mills faced shortages of essential chemicals. In 2022, the supply of papermaking components, including bleaching chemicals, adhesives, and spare parts for machinery, stopped completely due to sanctions restrictions.
In general, the share of domestically produced printing paper continues to grow, making market participants cautiously optimistic. Other trends include the stable size of the office paper segment, which now accounts for about 50% of total consumption, while the LWC (lightweight coated paper) segment has shrunk significantly.
The sustainability of the domestic market for printed paper is highlighted by the fact that, in 2023, it already met 95% of the needs of Russian publishing houses. Importantly, by the beginning of last year, the largest publishing houses had already switched to Russian-made coated paper (used for producing expensive and high-quality publications), with production volumes sufficient to meet market demands.
Printed paper market outlook
Overall, the current situation in the printing paper market is likely to remain relatively unchanged over the next 6-12 months. At the same time, like other sectors of the economy, this segment suffers from a shortage of personnel: given the demographic hole and the reluctance of young people to learn working specialities, there is a risk of a decline in production caused precisely by a shortage of personnel. This situation can be solved by raising the prestige of working specialities and attracting specialists with interesting conditions, as well as by automating and digitalising work processes. The implementation of digital solutions will solve several tasks at once: to improve the quality and efficiency of decision-making, to increase the efficiency of data exchange and interaction both within the company and with external partners, and to generally improve the quality of business management.
The reduction in the print run of various periodicals due to digitalisation and the media's transition to electronic form has also affected the paper market. Moreover, a number of companies have been forced to reorient themselves towards packaging. At the same time, Internet publications are subject to quite serious claims: the information posted in them is not always reliable and can be replaced or corrected at any time. Therefore, newspapers and magazines are a much more reliable source of information. Moreover, in the conditions of fake news spreading, print media can become the most reliable source of information, which will make the socio-political situation calmer. That is why market participants believe that the government could support print media in the current conditions, which would have a positive impact on the paper market.
What participation in Printech will bring to manufacturers and suppliers
Building reliable partnerships is one of the secrets of success. It has become especially important now, in the context of a dynamically changing external world. Among other things, participation in leading industry events, one of which is the Printech International Exhibition of Equipment, Technologies and Materials for Printing and Advertising Production, is a tool for creating and consolidating such ties.
At this event, producers and consumers of printed products can find common ground and agree on future co-operation directly on the site, bypassing unnecessary bureaucracy. Thanks to this, visitors' interest in the exhibition is growing: in 2024, it was visited by 2 per cent more guests (2,486) than in 2023, and with visitors to RosUpack, which takes place on the same days, that's as many as 29,537 guests!
The exposition of the exhibition is taking shape, as of today 47% of the companies of the previous year have already confirmed their participation in the exhibition of the new season.
If your company produces or sells equipment and technologies for the printing and advertising industry, participation in the 10th International Exhibition of Equipment, Technologies and Materials for Printing and Advertising Production Printech (17-20 June 2025, Moscow, Crocus Expo IEC, pavilion 2) will allow you to show your products to the target audience, expand the pool of partners and geography of sales.
