{"id":2978,"date":"2026-11-04T21:36:14","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T21:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imtrade.nl\/?page_id=2978"},"modified":"2026-11-05T06:29:11","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T06:29:11","slug":"impress-november-2026","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.imtrade.nl\/en\/impress-november-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"IMpress November 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"the<\/p>

Over the past few months, IMpress has generated a surprising amount of discussion. Some\u00a0readers appreciated our market observations, others questioned our conclusions, and a few\u00a0were less enthusiastic about seeing certain subjects discussed in public.<\/p>

Apparently, wastepaper isn’t that boring after all.<\/p>

But enough has been said about that. Let’s move on and try to write a newsletter that everyone\u00a0agrees with. Now, that would be a first.<\/p>

Welcome to November.<\/p>

Never a dull moment.<\/strong><\/p>

Market News November 2026<\/strong><\/h2>

OCC \/ Cardboard
<\/strong>OCC continues to be a sought-after commodity, with demand showing little sign of slowing down. Saica has once again increased its purchasing prices in France by \u20ac10 per ton, bringing the total increase since early October to \u20ac30 per ton. Interestingly, the company had lowered its prices in August, a move that appears to have done little to cool the market.<\/p>

Export demand is also picking up strongly again. The main limiting factor, however, remains the\u00a0availability of space on container vessels. Demand is certainly there, but getting the material on\u00a0board is another matter. Dutch and international\u00a0exporters have taken position.<\/p>

Meanwhile, German paper mills are attempting to keep prices stable in November. Whether they\u00a0will succeed remains to be seen. With demand as firm as it is, holding the line may prove rather\u00a0difficult.<\/p>

Mixed Paper
<\/b>Over the past few months, several municipal recovered-paper tenders in Germany have been concluded. Among the more notable were M\u00f6nchengladbach and Hamburg, involving\u00a0substantial volumes of recovered paper.\u00a0<\/p>

In our view, bidding levels were once again remarkably high, and some of the winning bidders\u00a0came as quite a surprise. Apparently, securing long-term volumes remains a priority, even at\u00a0ambitious price levels.<\/p>

Meanwhile, mixed-paper prices continue to trade just below OCC, with occasional exceptions\u00a0on the upside. These higher levels, however, are mainly seen in the spot market.\u00a0Interestingly, contract prices for mixed paper have remained below spot prices for several\u00a0months now. Could this simply be the result of relatively few tons being available outside\u00a0existing contracts?\u00a0If so, the spot market may be telling us more about the scarcity of freely available material than\u00a0about the overall market price.<\/p>

Export OCC
<\/strong>By mid-October, demand from India suddenly came to a halt. With Diwali approaching, Indian\u00a0buyers took a step back from the market. Much like Christmas in Europe, production tends to\u00a0run at full speed in the months leading up to the festive season, before slowing down as people\u00a0take time off and factories reduce their output.<\/p>

At the beginning of October, prices for European OCC were still around USD 205\u2013210 per ton\u00a0CNF. By the end of the month, however, levels had dropped sharply to USD 185\u2013190 per ton.\u00a0At these levels, very few deals were concluded from Europe, as domestic purchasing prices\u00a0simply did not allow exporters to compete. So far, there has been little sign of a meaningful\u00a0rebound, with Indian prices appearing to have settled around USD 185\u2013195 per ton for European\u00a0material.<\/p>

Elsewhere in Asia, price levels are hovering around USD 175\u2013185 per ton CNF, although\u00a0considerably lower ocean freight rates make these destinations more attractive. Freight rates to\u00a0Malaysia, for example, are currently around USD 10 per ton, while Indonesia is around USD 12\u00a0per ton. This translates into FAS levels of approximately \u20ac150\u2013152 per ton in Rotterdam and\u00a0Antwerp.<\/p>

For now, export demand remains present, but the gap between Asian buying prices and\u00a0European collection costs leaves little room for manoeuvre. The market is not short of buyers,\u00a0just short of prices that make sense.<\/p>

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>

UK: The Great Fibre Shake-Up<\/h3>

The British recovered-paper market is heading for a major transformation in 2027. Palm Paper is converting its King’s Lynn machine from newsprint to recycled containerboard, with a planned\u00a0capacity of 700,000 tonnes. Meanwhile, Eren Holding’s former UPM Shotton mill is preparing to\u00a0produce another 750,000 tonnes of containerboard annually.<\/p>

Although some older British paper machines are likely to close, we expect these developments\u00a0to increase domestic demand for recovered paper by approximately one million tonnes per year.\u00a0This will significantly strengthen the UK’s domestic recovered-paper market. Large volumes of\u00a0OCC and mixed paper that previously found their way to continental Europe and Asia will\u00a0increasingly be consumed at home. British exporters will face stronger competition from local\u00a0mills, while European and Asian buyers may have to look elsewhere for their fibre.
But there is another interesting consequence.<\/p>

The UK remains one of Europe’s relatively strong newspaper markets, with substantial volumes\u00a0of newspapers and other graphic paper still entering the recycling stream. Yet, with Palm’s\u00a0conversion away from newsprint, domestic demand for deinking grades will decline\u00a0considerably.\u00a0<\/p>

Ironically, while the UK becomes increasingly self-sufficient in packaging fibres, it may have to\u00a0find more overseas outlets for its graphic-paper waste.\u00a0The result could be a remarkable shift: a stronger domestic market for OCC and mixed paper,\u00a0but greater dependence on exports for deinking grades.<\/p>

In other words, Britain may soon be importing less of its own waste paper back as finished\u00a0packaging, while exporting more of yesterday’s news.<\/p>

DIWASS: Digital Ambitions, European Realities<\/h3>

With just two months to go before DIWASS becomes mandatory on 1 January 2027, uncertainty\u00a0remains remarkably high.\u00a0The idea is straightforward: replace paper-based Annex VII documentation with a European\u00a0digital system. The implementation, however, is proving considerably less straightforward.<\/p>

For traders handling hundreds or thousands of shipments every month, manually entering each\u00a0transport is simply not an option. Reliable connections between existing ERP systems and\u00a0DIWASS will be essential. Whether these interfaces will work smoothly from day one remains to\u00a0be seen.<\/p>

And then there is Europe itself.\u00a0 Poland and the Baltic states appear well prepared. Scandinavia seems to be taking a more\u00a0relaxed approach, patiently waiting for further clarification. France is developing its own national\u00a0portal, while Spain and Italy appear to be operating on a slightly more ma\u00f1ana timetable.\u00a0In parts of southeastern Europe, we would be surprised to see a completely trouble-free\u00a0introduction. And the Netherlands? Keen to comply, naturally, but equally keen not to put its\u00a0trading sector at a competitive disadvantage.<\/p>

One European regulation, interpreted through 27 different national realities. What could possibly\u00a0go wrong?<\/p>

The consequences for international traders could be substantial. Different national portals,\u00a0registration requirements, software connections and the obligation to register shipments in\u00a0advance will reduce flexibility and increase administrative costs. Particularly when transport\u00a0arrangements change at short notice.\u00a0We are not convinced DIWASS will make life easier for the recovered-paper trade. Quite possibly\u00a0the opposite. Nevertheless, the rules are coming, and we intend to comply with them.<\/p>

The real question is whether all European countries, authorities and software providers will be\u00a0equally ready.\u00a0Hopefully, by January, moving recovered paper across Europe will still be easier than moving the\u00a0information about it.<\/p>

LATEST UPDATE: DIWASS POSTPONED ONCE AGAIN!<\/u><\/p>

DIWALI: the Indian Christmas<\/h3>

\"\"<\/p>

Every year, around October or November, something rather predictable happens in the\u00a0recovered-paper export market. Indian buyers suddenly become less interested in our offers,\u00a0negotiations slow down, and getting a quick answer becomes considerably more difficult.
The reason is Diwali.\u00a0<\/p>

Often compared to Christmas, Diwali is one of India’s most important celebrations. Known as\u00a0the Festival of Lights, it symbolises the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and\u00a0knowledge over ignorance. Families decorate their homes with lights, exchange gifts and sweets,\u00a0and celebrate together. For many, it also represents prosperity, new beginnings and a fresh start\u00a0in business.<\/p>

Much like Christmas in Europe, production and commercial activity tend to peak in the months\u00a0leading up to the festivities, before slowing down as people take time off.\u00a0And perhaps that is what makes traditions so important, wherever we come from. Whether it is\u00a0Diwali in India, Christmas in Europe or countless other celebrations around the world, we all\u00a0seem to share the same need to occasionally escape the daily routine. To put work aside,\u00a0reconnect with family and friends, and remind ourselves that life is about more than deadlines,\u00a0responsibilities and the next business deal.<\/p>

Different cultures, different traditions, but remarkably similar human needs.\u00a0This year, Diwali falls on 8 November. We wish all our Indian customers, suppliers and friends a\u00a0happy and prosperous Diwali.\u00a0And once the celebrations are over, we look forward to hearing from you again.\u00a0Preferably with a few more purchase orders.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u00a0 \u00a0 Over the past few months, IMpress has generated a surprising amount of discussion. Some\u00a0readers appreciated our market observations, others questioned our conclusions, and a few\u00a0were less enthusiastic about seeing certain subjects discussed in public. Apparently, wastepaper isn’t that boring after all. But enough has been said about that. Let’s move on and try […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2978","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imtrade.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imtrade.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imtrade.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imtrade.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imtrade.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2978"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/www.imtrade.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2978\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3023,"href":"https:\/\/www.imtrade.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2978\/revisions\/3023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imtrade.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}