Page 21 - BOSS Today Issue 11

Let’s look at the big picture suppliers’ paper – or copier environmental claims have
first. According to Tim Bowler, paper, as the industry likes to call been made about the relative
director of the National it – is not as easy to quantify on environmental merits of digital
Association of Paper Merchants its own, because it is supplied technology and paper. It is these
(NAPM), up until about 20 years through more complex channels claims which the Two Sides
ago his industry proved to be a to market: Bowler estimates that campaign, which the NAPM
remarkably reliable bellwether around 60 per cent of all office helped to create some five years
on how UK PLC was performing. paper supplied in the UK comes ago with support from BOSS
“Up until the mid-1990s through his members, and so is sister organisation the BPIF,
paper consumption was a reflected in NAPM figures. Even is looking to redress. But the
pretty good barometer for the still, those figures are down. economic recession, says Bowler,
wellbeing of the nation,” he Consumption has gone down hasn’t helped.
says. “When we were having a 22.5 per cent from December Bowler: “The “It’s a hunch of mine that
boom time, paper consumption 2009 to December 2011. “The recession the recession gave companies
went up, and when we were in volume of copier paper our an excuse to exclude paper,”
recession it went down in line members are distributing is gave he says. “They were very keen
with GDP growth or decline.” now three quarters of what it to ease off on paper use, but
That link began to decouple was five years ago,” says Bowler. companies not so keen on easing off using
in the late 1990s with the To address this issue, other just as costly and less
emergence of reliable digital the NAPM held a forum in an excuse environmentally friendly items.”
technology, but even still, says October last year where it
Bowler, right up until the middle asked members when they to exclude Clawing back
of the last decade, the decline thought the paper consumption But there are ways of clawing
was fairly gradual. “There was still situation was likely to “flatline” paper.” some market back. Bowler sees
only about a 1.5 per cent annual – “flatline” in this case meaning some signs of opportunity in
decrease in consumption,” he “bottom out”. scale production would have the home office market – one
says. “The general consensus was brought it. Not forgetting the that may not be as much at the
that it would not be until at least impact that new so-called green mercy of rigorous environmental
Momentous year 2015/16,” he says. technologies such as biomass policies. After all, most people
That all changed – as did much That will mean some quite burning are having on the price now have a printer at home
else – in the annus horribilis considerable bottoming out, as of paper’s main ingredient – that needs paper fed into it. The
of 2008. “In 2009 we had a Bowler is quick to admit. “The wood. only trouble is that much of that
9.2 per cent drop in overall previous levels of volume tonnes But is Bowler pessimistic market has been soaked up by
consumption from 2008, from are never going to come back,” about the future? Absolutely the likes of Sainsbury’s and Asda.
where consumption of printing he says. not. He says the product his “People are picking up paper as
papers had been 2 million The decline is already members produce will always part of their weekly shop,” he says.
tonnes a year,” he says. affecting the industry have a future. “Don’t forget that A really key change will only
Things began to look structurally, he says, with all paper has been around for 2,000 come, he says, if the paper
like they were beginning to NAPM members restructuring years,” he says. “It’s not going and office products industries
straighten out in 2010, when and looking at cost savings to die out now. In many, many start working more closely on
consumption only dropped 5.2 including major mergers taking respects there is no substitute innovation.
per cent – still a big drop, but place such as the one that for words on paper.” “We have to be more
less of a haemorrhage than the formed Antalis McNaughton. The main threat, he says, innovative when confronted
year before. “But then we had “The companies within the is coming from “some very with the likes of Android apps,”
our double dip anyway,” says PaperlinX group, the largest challenging channels that we he says. “We can be glad that
Bowler, “because in 2011 the fall UK merchant group, have also have to compete with now”. there has been a move back
in consumption went back up to merged distribution and many Things like SMS messages, he to catalogues among some
9.3 per cent. So in over just three of their back office functions, says, which have largely taken retailers. The IKEA catalogue, for
years there has been a 22 per even if they have kept their sales the place of the old notepads example is now one of the most
cent fall in consumption.” operations separate,” says Bowler. people might have used in years widely distributed books in the
It should be pointed out “The fall in consumption has gone by. world. But we have to find other
here that the figures Bowler is also been matched by a fall in Office paper in particular, innovative ways we can all use
referring to are for overall paper the number of people working he says, has been hit by the paper.”
consumption – in other words, in the paper industry.” increasing trend for corporations The challenge is certainly on.
not just paper that is sold by That goes some of the way to be more environmentally
office products suppliers but to explaining the rise in prices, aware about what they see as n For more inFormation
paper that gets sent to the as the sector loses some of the the waste they cause. visit www.napm.org.uk or
printers as well. In fact, office economies of scale that larger He says some very “spurious” emaiL trb@napm.org.uk.

March 2012 | BOSS TODAY 21

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