November 13, 2024

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Fashion Your personal

Catalogues and brochures hit by glossy paper supply crunch

Shopping catalogues and holiday brochures could be in short supply this Christmas owing to lack of glossy paper.

British paper manufacturers have shifted production to cardboard to capitalise on a boom in home deliveries, according to the boss of one of the UK’s largest printers.

Glossy paper production has been left in the hands of manufacturers in Finland, who are currently facing severe strike action from unionised staff.

Jeremy Walters, chief executive of Paragon Customer Communications, warned of the impending supply crunch.

He said: “At the moment everybody is using what’s in the supply chain. When the mills actually start there will be a bit of a lag.”

Industrial action by the Finnish Paperworkers’ Union has shut some of the country’s paper and pulp mills since Jan 1, with the standoff expected to last until the middle of next month.

The European print trade body Intergraf estimates that printing companies’ stocks will not last until the strike ends and printers will not be able to fulfil orders. Intergraf estimates that within days there will be a 40pc shortage in the paper needed by European printers.

The UK has about 40 paper mills, nearly all of which have moved to make cardboard to sell to companies packaging up goods ordered online or to help with the shift away from plastic packaging.

Normally, paper producers would be making extra glossy paper in the early months of the year in anticipation for the busy printing months of October and November in the run-up to Christmas to deal with the rush.

Mr Walters added: “They won’t be able to build up enough stock to get us through that period comfortably.What we don’t know is the demand of the overall market.”

He estimates about 70pc of the product is normally made at mills currently being hit by the strikes.

Asset manager Abrdn was forced to delay a shareholder vote last month because of a paper shortage which held up printing of a million 120-page documents.