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Who we are
Today, over two thirds of North American newsprint capacity is owned by companies with assets in both Canada and the United States.
Because of industry consolidation, North America is now truly one producing region, accounting for over one third of world newsprint
capacity. The NPA was formed in the fall of 1999 to reflect this new reality.
The NPA's member companies account for 98% of North American newsprint capacity. They currently operate over 40 mills
located in all regions of North America.
The NPA's mandate is to work on issues of common interest, and to undertake the statistical, market research, and benchmarking work
that can be most efficiently and appropriately carried out by one industry group.
The NPA also identifies public policy issues relevant to the newsprint industry and works with the American Forest & Paper Association
(AF&PA) and the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) to develop appropriate positions. Management of such policy issues,
however, is left to FPAC and AF&PA to avoid duplication of effort and loss of effectiveness.
The NPA makes every effort to ensure that its activities do not contravene the provisions of competition or anti-trust laws of
countries in which its members trade, in particular those of the United States, Canada, and the European Union.
There are over 210 mills that produce newsprint in the world of which 45 are found in North America, 39 in
Western Europe, and 70 in Asia. The others - roughly 40 - are found in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Oceania,
and Africa. The largest newsprint mill in the world is located in Japan and has the capacity to produce over
one million tonnes of newsprint per year on seven machines. In North America, the size of newsprint machines
varies from 60 000 tonnes to 290 000 tonnes, with the average size being
150 000 tonnes. In Western Europe, the average newsprint machine is bigger than in North America
due to the fact that the machines there are generally of a more recent vintage and more of them are dedicated
to producing only newsprint.
Canada is the largest producer of newsprint with 7.8 million tonnes produced in 2005, followed by the U.S.
(4.9 million) and Japan (3.7 million). Canada is also the largest exporter with around 60% of its
production sold to the U.S. and 25% shipped to offshore markets. Although 45% of all newsprint produced worldwide
gets exported, newsprint is largely considered a locally traded commodity. Indeed, North American producers
supply 98% of the domestric newsprint needs. Similarly, Western European producers meet close to 85% of
Western Europe’s needs while roughly 80% of the newsprint consumed in Asia is of Asian origin.
Though it accounts for only 5% of the world’s population, the United States consume nearly 25% of all the
newsprint produced worldwide. They have, by far, the highest number of daily newspapers with close to
1 500 titles. In comparison, Japan, which is the second largest newsprint market, has only just
over 100 titles. It should be noted, however, that the average circulation per title in the U.S. is
significantly lower than in most other markets (37 000 copies per title compared to 651 000
in Japan and 159 000 in the U.K.). Of all the newsprint consumed in North America, around 80% is used for
the printing of daily newspapers (published at least four times a week). In Europe, this proportion falls to
about 75%. The balance is used in Sunday newspapers, weekly newspapers, free newspapers (such as community
newspapers), newspaper supplements, directories and in commercial printing for promotional material such as
free-standing inserts and flyers. Newsprint consumption by non-daily users, particularly commercial printers,
tends to be more volatile than consumption by daily newspaper because they can switch more easily to, and from,
other uncoated mechanical grades, depending largely on the price differential between those grades and newsprint.
For a daily newspaper, the cost of newsprint represents between 15% and 20% of its total production costs.
In terms of demand per capita, newsprint usage varies greatly between regions and even between countries within
a given region. In Western Europe, for instance, demand per capita averaged 22.9 kilograms in 2005.
However, it was registered at only 10.5 kilograms in France compared to 44.8 kilograms in Sweden
where individual consumption was the highest in the world in 2005. In North America, demand per capita stood
at 31.6 kilograms. In Asia, although the average only amounted to 3.3 kilograms in 2005, some
countries, such as South Korea (21.6 kgs per capita) and Japan (30.1 kgs per capita), registered
levels comparable to those in Western Europe and North America.
The North American, Western European, and Japanese newsprint markets are considered to be mature with very little growth anticipated
in the long-term. For this reason, more and more newsprint machines in these regions are being converted to value-added grades.
Non-Japan Asia is where significant growth in consumption has occurred in the past decade and is expected to continue, due to
their rising level of literacy and general improvements in economic conditions.
More information on the newsprint industry can be found in Newsprint Facts at a Glance,
published annually by the Pulp and Paper Products Council on behalf of the Newsprint Producers Association
(click on Publications on Homepage).
Membership in the NPA is open to any company with newsprint operations in North America.
© 2007, Newsprint Producers Association
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