Stormy Forecast for Paper Buyers

THERE’S NO sugar-coating it: the paper market is bleak for buyers. The problems lie in both price and availability, and the forecast has almost no bright spots. Here’s a look at how we got here, what you can do today to cope, and what trends may affect paper purchasing this year and beyond.

First, it’s easy to be puzzled about how the paper market could change so abruptly and intensely. Paper buyers have seen the dark clouds massing over the mills for years but little has come of it. Why is it actually raining now?