Recovered Paper Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Recovered Paper Market is projected to expand from USD 61.24 Billion in 2025 to USD 81.69 Billion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 4.92%. This sector involves the collection and reprocessing of paper waste to serve as secondary raw material for manufacturing new paper and board products. The market is primarily underpinned by the growing necessity for containerboard and cardboard packaging within the e-commerce sector, alongside increasing regulatory pressure to replace plastics with biodegradable options. These fundamental economic drivers guarantee a persistent demand for high-quality recycled fiber, regardless of short-term market fluctuations.

However, the industry faces a significant obstacle in the form of material contamination, which diminishes fiber utility and raises processing costs. Inconsistent quality in waste streams can disrupt production efficiency and restrict the supply of premium grades needed for specific manufacturing applications. Data from the American Forest & Paper Association indicates that approximately 46 million tons of paper were recycled in the United States in 2024. This figure illustrates the immense volume of recovered material handled by the market, even as it continues to grapple with the challenges of maintaining feedstock purity.

Market Drivers

The surging demand for sustainable e-commerce packaging serves as a primary catalyst for the Global Recovered Paper Market, prompting major retailers to switch from polymer-based materials to fiber-based alternatives. As online shopping volumes grow, logistics providers and marketplaces are aggressively replacing single-use plastic fillers and mailers with corrugated board and recycled paper solutions to meet consumer expectations for environmentally responsible delivery. This structural shift directly boosts the consumption of recovered fiber grades, particularly Old Corrugated Containers (OCC), which are essential for manufacturing protective transport packaging. For instance, Amazon noted in its July 2024 '2023 Sustainability Report' that it replaced 95% of plastic air pillows with paper filler in North America to reduce plastic waste, demonstrating how large-scale commercial procurement strategies fundamentally reshape demand for recycled paper inputs.

Furthermore, corporate sustainability initiatives and Scope 3 emission targets accelerate market expansion as manufacturers aim to lower their carbon footprints by integrating secondary raw materials. Companies in the fast-moving consumer goods sector are establishing strict circular economy goals that require higher percentages of post-consumer recycled content in their packaging portfolios.

These efforts are supported by significant capital expenditures in processing capabilities to ensure a reliable supply of high-quality pulp. According to Tetra Pak’s May 2024 'Sustainability Report FY23', the company invested nearly 40 million EUR to increase recycling capacity for cartons and polyAl, highlighting the industry's focus on closing the loop. Additionally, the Confederation of European Paper Industries reported in 2024 that the paper and board recycling rate in Europe reached 79.3% in 2023, reflecting the mature infrastructure supporting this market.

Market Challenges

Material contamination remains a pervasive barrier to the expansion of the Global Recovered Paper Market, as it directly increases processing costs and degrades the quality of secondary raw materials. When waste streams contain high levels of non-paper impurities such as plastics or food residues, recycling facilities suffer from reduced fiber yields and face substantial costs for intensive sorting and disposal. This deterioration in feedstock quality limits manufacturers' ability to produce premium containerboard and packaging grades, thereby restricting the market's overall value potential and operational efficiency.

The severity of this quality issue is highlighted by recent industry findings regarding collection methods. The Confederation of Paper Industries reported in 2024 that contamination rates for paper and cardboard in commingled collections reached approximately 15.5 percent, compared to just 1.1 percent for source-segregated streams. Such disparities in material purity force mills to reject significant volumes of collected supply or downgrade their finished products. Consequently, reliance on contaminated inputs hampers the industry’s ability to meet the stringent technical specifications required for high-performance paper applications, effectively slowing market growth despite strong demand.

Market Trends

The increasing use of lower-grade mixed paper in containerboard production is transforming the upstream supply chain as manufacturers adapt to processing more heterogeneous fiber streams. With the decline in graphic paper and the surge in e-commerce, mills are upgrading stock preparation systems to efficiently pulp mixed paper grades for corrugated medium and linerboard production. This structural adaptation allows producers to valorize lower-cost, abundant waste streams while securing the feedstock volumes necessary to meet capacity requirements. According to the American Forest & Paper Association's August 2025 report, '2024 Paper Recycling: By the Numbers', nearly half of the recovered fiber utilized domestically, totaling approximately 20.8 million tons, was converted into containerboard in 2024.

Simultaneously, the development of repulpable aqueous barrier coatings is revolutionizing packaging recyclability by replacing traditional plastic laminates. Chemical suppliers are engineering water-based formulations that offer essential grease and moisture resistance yet break down fully during repulping, significantly reducing the rejection of coated papers at recovery facilities. This technological evolution enables brand owners to meet strict circularity goals without compromising product protection or disrupting existing recycling streams. As noted by Solenis in its April 2025 '2024 Sustainability Report', the company's ValueAdvantage partner program, which implements advanced technologies including sustainable barrier coatings, delivered $257 million in value to customers in 2024.

Key Players Profiled in the Recovered Paper Market

• Smurfit Kappa Group plc
• International Paper Company
• American Eagle Paper Mills
• Stora Enso Oyj
• Mondi Group plc
• Nine Dragons Paper Holdings Limited
• DS Smith PLC
• S.A. Industrias Celulosa Aragonesa
• Tay Paper Recycling Pte Ltd.
• Visy Industries

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Recovered Paper Market has been segmented into the following categories:

Recovered Paper Market, by Grade:

• Low Grade Paper
• High Grade Paper
• Brown Paper
• Others

Recovered Paper Market, by Type:

• Printing and Writing Paper
• Newsprint
• Tissue
• Containerboard

Recovered Paper Market, by End User Industry:

• Food & Beverage
• Electrical & Electronics
• Automotive
• Pharmaceuticals
• Others

Recovered Paper Market, by Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Recovered Paper Market.

Available Customization

The analyst offers customization according to your specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

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