German toilet paper prices to rise by 20 to 50 cents per pack

The "toilet paper chaos" is a special memory of the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost every German has experienced the fear of being dominated by toilet paper. At present, toilet paper is likely to become a headline topic again. According to the German Life newspaper, the price of toilet paper in Germany may soon rise sharply , with an estimated price increase of about 0.2-0.5 euros per pack .

The reason behind the price increase for toilet paper is the increase in pulp costs . According to Merkur.de , the price increase for cellulose , the basic raw material for toilet paper , has led to higher production costs, which are now around 30% higher on average compared to the lowest level in 2020 .

In addition, the epidemic has lengthened the transportation cycle, and there will be considerable delays in the time it takes for raw materials to arrive at the factory, which will eventually affect the price of toilet paper. For example, the blockage of the Suez Canal some time ago caused the largest pulp and paper company in Latin America, Brazil's Suzano, to suffer the most. The company's pulp production accounts for about one-third of the world's total.

Currently, pulp production in Scandinavia and Canada has also been completely shut down due to machine maintenance work, coupled with the current rise in oil prices worldwide leading to increased processing costs, all of which ultimately led to higher paper towel prices.

Industry experts from Lebensmittel Zeitung explained that another reason for the surge in pulp prices is strong demand from China . China's economy has gradually recovered from the epidemic and is becoming increasingly prosperous, but the waste paper import ban issued by the Chinese Ministry of Environment in 2018 took full effect in January this year . China has banned the use of waste paper to produce toilet paper, and the demand for pulp has expanded. This move has caused chaos in the global pulp market , and the global market has suddenly created a gap of several million tons, and pulp is in short supply .

According to euwid's market analysis report : the situation is very serious . The current demand for pulp far exceeds the existing supply, and supply is insufficient to meet demand . Tissue paper manufacturers have to accept this price.

German toilet paper industry giants such as Hakle, Essity and Kimberly-Clark have announced that they will pass on the current rising production costs to consumers . According to German wa.de, consumers will soon be able to feel the price increases in their deflated wallets.

Hakle's general manager Volker Jung told Lifenitz newspaper : " I have never experienced such a price increase in decades ." He stressed that if the costs were not passed on to consumers, "we would be eliminated in the summer."

At present, there are no signs of price increases in discount stores such as Aldi, Lidl or Edeka . On the contrary, in recent weeks, some supermarkets have even reduced the price of toilet paper. Because the demand for toilet paper has dropped significantly compared to December 2020, but these large supermarkets have stockpiled a lot of goods. Since last autumn, many supermarkets have begun to sell at a lower price in order to relieve warehouse pressure. So in the short term, discounts will continue to appear on supermarket billboards.

However, this situation will soon end. According to media reports, experts expect that in the coming weeks , if the price of raw materials continues to rise , the price of toilet paper will also increase, and the increase is expected to reach double digits .

Germany

toilet paper