Market Report
Prides down futher
NL-Tilburg, 2 November 2025
With Indian mill buyers back from Divali holidays, prices for all packaging grades were reduced by $ 10 per ton. In SEA we saw another price decrease of $ 5 pt after a similar one last week.
It means that we have to deal with a price decrease in export of at least $ 10 pt. This as far as sales prices to Asia known to us now.
It is not only for packaging grades like occ (kls) etc, but also for all other grades export prices are quoted at least $ 10 down from previous pricing. Price negotiations not possible: take it or leave it.
Even before distant exporting countries had decided to do so, reports had already trickled through to the local European market that the same development awaited us here. It would not be surprising.
Who will be the first to join the downward trend: the US, Europe or China's neighbouring countries, now that there seems to be some panic about import controls on dry recycled pulp in China?
Large-scale quality checks are taking place there. With the habit of some of our American colleagues to ship unsold goods, the pressure to find buyers in other countries is urgent. Finding them is one thing, trying to keep conversion costs as low as possible is another.
In any case, mill buyers in various European countries have already floated the idea of price reductions of €10 per tonne for low grades, and even €10 to €20 per tonne for medium and high grades.
It is mainly tissue manufacturers who are putting the brakes on purchasing and intake. This sector can currently benefit fully from cheap wood pulp.
The whole price story will become clear to us next week. Optimism is not the feeling that is currently circulating in the market.
Trade war
This week, Euwid reported on a story that appeared on social media about a “trade war” between waste management companies Augustin and Remondis Germany, which was said to be taking place in Emsland, near the Dutch border.
Remondis is said to have followed Augustin's lorries with no fewer than 15 cars and then persuaded customers to switch to Remondis with “generous discounts”.
Augustin is outraged, calling it unfair competition, while Remondis has “no comment” on the action.
The question is whether Remondis decided to take this action on its own initiative or whether it was a response to one or more actions by Augustin. “What you do, we can do too” – something like that.
Such a visible action must undoubtedly have been a response by Remondis, because otherwise they would have proceeded more subtly. Now it was probably just a show of strength.
It is not an unknown phenomenon in our recycling industry, which is often disrupted by unfair competition, that companies under attack fight back, as Remondis has done.
Perhaps this often happens less conspicuously, but still.
Another question is what constitutes unfair competition. Some companies are known for offering impossibly attractive terms in our industry. These are made possible, or not, by mixing waste in their products or stealing weight from suppliers. Sometimes this is accompanied by paying employees undeclared (overtime) hours or making cash payments to suppliers.
It is as old as our industry and still exists today. You could easily classify this as “unfair competition”.
Whether this was the basis for this “war” will never be clear. What is clear is that Remondis will not be pushed around. And rightly so!
Price indication
Price indication in Europe for low grades of recovered paper, sorted, baled and ex works are now between € 60 and € 80 per tonne. These prices are depending on quality, available volume, region and loaded weight.
Look here at the Price chart >>
The price chart gives an indication of the price of mixed paper, separately collected, in the Netherlands free delivered mill over the last 10 years.
Scrolling over the top of the columns gives the exact price indication in Euro's per ton.