Domestic packaging paper mills in the UK are running at normal levels, while demand from China is said to be sluggish.
The British recovered paper market has been relatively quiet over the past four weeks. Export prices for lower grades such as old corrugated containers (1.05) and mixed paper and board (1.02) slipped a little in the final two weeks of May, with prices falling by a few pounds. A small, short-lived increase in prices materialised in the first week of June, but the excitement was fleeting, with prices returning to the old level by the second week in June.
The Chinese Government's Operation Green Fence is still significantly limiting export opportunities for independent recovered paper suppliers, whereas integrated exporters are facing fewer problems. Exporting mixed paper continued to be a challenge at the start of June with strict controls still in place, as they had been for months now.
