Middle-East and Africa Paper and Paperboard Market Size (2024 - 2029)

MEA Paper &Paperboard Market Analysis

The Middle-East and African paper and paperboard market is expected to register a CAGR of 4% over the forecast period (2021 - 2026).

The paper and forest-products industry is experiencing growth, but at a slower pace, as compared to before as other products are filling the gaps left by the graphic paper market, with the packaging industry gaining momentum in leveraging its eco-friendly material, along with tissue papers and pulp for hygiene products.

Although the market within the Middle-East and African region is relatively small, the vendors in the region leverage each other by the means of imports and exports and are constantly looking for new applications and use for wood and its components. For instance, according to the United Nation Comtrade database, the United Arab Emirates accounted USD 12.26 million in 2018, for the import of paper and paperboard from Kuwait.

As with the food and beverage industry, with the growth of health-conscious consumers opting to grocery delivery services and meal kits, there has been a significant gain in the trend of take out choices by food suppliers. This has evidently impacted the food delivery vendors and the environmental safety to consider paper-based packaging options.

For instance, fast food chains with restaurants across the world, such as McDonald, are capitalizing on the popularity of eco-friendly food packaging options, thereby, levering the growth of the market.

Additionally, with the increase of e-commerce, technological advancements may foster the growth of transport and industrial packaging. Owing to promising future aspects of the market, both domestic and foreign investors within the paper-based industries are looking to strengthen their business in the region and uplight the product capacity.

Moreover, with the recent outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and declaration of nationwide lockdown in major countries in the Middle-East and African region, from March 2020, has led people to stockpile emergency supplies, causing a surge demand for products, such as disposable surgical masks, tissue, sanitary wipes, toiler paper, and other paper-based hygiene products.

MEA Paper &Paperboard Industry Segmentation

• Both paper and paperboard are primarily made from wood pulp as they are obtained from plant fiber, and thereby, are a renewable resource with the difference being the thickness and use case. Whereas papers are thin, flexible, and are used for wraps and bags. On the other hand, paperboards are more rigid and thicker, and they are use to construct cartons and fiberboards.
• The paper and paperboard packaging are used over a wide temperature range, including the food storage at high temperature to the frozen state. These packagings are permeable to water, aqueous solutions, organic solvents, and gasses, such as oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. Additionally, they can acquire barrier properties and extended their function performance.
• The report covers the emerging trends in the Middle-East and African paper and paperboard market, and it is segmented by end-user industry and country across the region.