Printing and Writing Paper Shipments Decline

Total North American printing and writing paper shipments dropped 21.6% in December to 1.675 million tons, according to the Pulp and Paper Products Council (PPPC). Total N.A. shipments for all of 2008 were down 8.7% at 24.14 million tonnes. Coated mechanical shipments declined 3.9% in December to 280,000 tonnes, and fell 16.3% to 4.18 million tonnes for the full year. Coated freesheet shipments dropped 28.0% to 263,000 tonnes and were down 9.2% to 4.15 million tonnes in the 12-month period.