Energy Surcharges Hitting the Thermal Paper Markets

Last week, we received several notices from offshore paper mills that they were adding additional “fees” to help offset rising energy costs. The European suppliers we have contact with have started adding a $330 per Ton charge to each load of paper. This means the impact on each paper grade is going to vary. Essentially, the higher the paper costs, the lower the percentage impact. For all of the grades we currently purchase, this will add between 8% and 15% to all paper that is imported. Currently, Domestic suppliers have not started this practice, but it can be anticipated.