Talking Points
The International Pulp Week (IPW) conference, held from May 10 to 12 at the Sutton Place Hotel in Vancouver, attracted 160 industry professionals, including pulp producers. The event featured discussions on the evolving global pulp market. Topics included the impact of geopolitical tensions on supply and demand, carbon capture technologies, and market forecasts for pulp products.
Key presentations addressed economic uncertainty and the future of commodity pricing.
Delegates participated in a guided tour of Stanley Park’s urban forest, focusing on environmental management.
This conference is significant as it highlights the challenges and innovations within the pulp industry, crucial for Canada’s forestry sector and its economic future.
Running from May 10 to 12, the International Pulp Week (IPW) conference drew a crowd of 160 to the Sutton Place Hotel Vancouver, including pulp producers, end users, logistics providers, suppliers and financial professionals.
Produced by the Pulp and Paper Products Council (PPPC), the event opened with a cocktail reception on May 10. On the first full day, May 11, following a networking breakfast and opening introductions, ERA Forest Products Research managing director Kevin Mason discussed how the end of ‘Pax Americana’ is shifting the industry landscape and reshaping global pulp markets.
Next, Numera chief economist Joaquin Kritz Lara offered a ‘macro’ view on tariffs, economic uncertainty and a commodity pricing outlook for 2026. Rodrigo Marchi, Suzano’s managing director for the Americas, discussed further how geopolitical tensions, shifting trade patterns and consolidation are reshaping the pulp sector and affecting supply, demand and competitiveness, with a focus on how increasing the share of hardwood in tissue and paper furnishes can boost quality and efficiency. And Christian Chavassieu, managing partner of CelCo, provided an update on the global specialty cellulose market, including viscose, acetate, ethers and industrial applications.
Jouni Martiskainen, project development manager for Svante, discussed carbon capture as a way to turn a pulp mill’s waste stream into new revenue, taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of different pulp-producing regions. To illustrate his points, his presentation was followed after lunch by a Svante manufacturing facility tour in Burnaby, B.C.
On the third and final day, May 12, Ismo Nousiainen, CEO of Metsä Fibre, explored how northern softwood pulp can support product differentiation in through-air-dried (TAD) tissue production, where consistent fibre properties are key to efficiency, flexibility and quality.
Craig Murphy, global bleaching chemicals director for OPIS, a Dow Jones company, reviewed recent market shocks affecting sodium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide and sodium chlorate and analyzed subsequent trends in bleaching and pulping chemicals.
Aki Temmes, executive vice-president (EVP) at UPM Fibres, explored the roles of both softwood and hardwood fibres in optimal furnishes for various end uses. Mathieu Wener, senior economist for Numera Analytics, addressed recent developments in some of these end-use markets, including tissue, specialty grades and printing and writing papers, and examined how macroeconomic conditions, demographics and cost pressures are affectint the market outlook for 2026 through 2030. His colleague Li Meng, general manager (GM) in Beijing, followed up with a focus on China and the rest of Asia.
In the last presentation, PPPC’s own vice-president (VP), Emanuele Bona, used the latest data to review and forecast market demand for pulp around the world. This was followed by a guided walking tour for delegates through Stanley Park’s urban forest, highlighting hazard tree management and replanting efforts.