Specialty Pulp & Paper Chemicals Market Report 2026

The specialty pulp & paper chemicals market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $25.79 billion in 2025 to $27.73 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.6%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to expansion of paper and packaging industries, increasing demand for high-quality printing materials, growth of labeling and packaging applications, rising focus on paper strength enhancement, availability of specialty chemical formulations.

The specialty pulp & paper chemicals market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $37.39 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.8%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to increasing shift toward sustainable packaging, rising adoption of water-based chemicals, expansion of specialty paper applications, growing investments in process optimization, increasing regulatory pressure on chemical usage. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing use of functional paper additives, rising demand for eco-friendly paper chemicals, growing adoption of high-performance coating additives, expansion of specialty packaging applications, enhanced focus on process efficiency.

The increasing consumption of recycled paper is expected to drive the growth of the specialty pulp and paper chemicals market going forward. Recycled paper refers to paper that is reprocessed into new paper products. Specialty pulp and paper chemicals support paper production by enhancing whiteness and removing lignin. For example, in September 2024, a report published by the UK government noted that in 2022, 62.4% of packaging waste in the UK was recycled, rising to 64.8% in 2023. That year, recycling accounted for 8.2 million tonnes of the total 12.7 million tonnes of packaging waste generated, with the largest portion coming from paper and cardboard, totaling 5.4 million tonnes. Therefore, the growing use of recycled paper is boosting the specialty pulp and paper chemicals market.

Major companies in the specialty pulp and paper chemicals market are prioritizing investments in production lines for next-generation specialty pulps to enhance product quality, improve sustainability, reduce environmental impact, and address the evolving market demands for innovative and eco-friendly paper products. Investments in pulp mills are directed towards adopting advanced technologies to produce these next-generation specialty pulps, a move expected to boost the mill's competitiveness and environmental performance while also creating and preserving jobs in British Columbia. For example, in September 2024, Kruger Inc., a Canada-based company, announced a substantial investment of $32.4 million in its Kamloops Pulp Mill. This funding will facilitate the installation of a new pressure diffusion washer with AI-based controls, making it the first of its kind in Canada. The investment will secure 340 existing jobs at the Kamloops mill and create an additional four new positions, while also projected to indirectly support around 1,000 jobs throughout the local biomass value chain.

In February 2023, Solenis LLC, a U.S.-based specialty chemicals manufacturer, acquired the paper process chemicals business of Kolb Distribution Ltd., a Switzerland-based company. This strategic acquisition enables Solenis to broaden its product offering and establishes a long-term supply agreement for process chemistries.

Major companies operating in the specialty pulp & paper chemicals market are AkzoNobel NV, Ashland Global Holdings Inc., BASF SE, Buckman Laboratories International Inc., Evonik Industries AG, Kemira Oyj, SNF Floerger, The Dow Chemical Company, Nalco Holding Company, Imerys, DowDuPont, Solenis, Ecolab, Huntsman Corporation, Clariant, Wacker Chemie AG, Georgia-Pacific Chemicals LLC, Omya International AG, Buckeye Technologies Inc., Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc., Borregaard ASA.

Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the specialty pulp and paper chemicals market in 2025. Europe is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the specialty pulp and paper chemicals market share during the forecast period. The regions covered in the specialty pulp & paper chemicals market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the specialty pulp & paper chemicals market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The specialty pulp and paper chemicals market consists of sales of coating chemicals, bleaching & RCF chemicals. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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