UAE’s per capita tissue consumption put at 12kg

The per capita consumption of tissue in the UAE in 2013 was 12 kg against 4.5 kg in China, 24 kg in US and 16 kg in Western Europe, said Helmut Berger, General Manager, Abu Dhabi National Paper Mill (ADNPM).

“A big chunk of the tissue consumption in the UAE is facial tissues, quite different from the consumption scene in other parts of the world,” he said.

These international industry statistics were released today on the sidelines of the inauguration of Paper Arabia 2014 which opened in Dubai on Sunday.

The UAE’s production of tissues stood at 120,000 tons in 2013 through three Abu Dhabi-based mills: Abu Dhabi National Paper Mill (ADNPM), Queenex Hygiene Paper Manufacturing LLC (QHPM) and Crown Paper Mill. The consumption was 70,000 tons, with hotels and the tourism industry taking a significant share of this consumption.

Nahed Basma, Sales & Marketing Manager, QHPM said: “The three Abu Dhabi paper mills serve a wide range of nearly 40 converting factories. 40 percent of the production at QHPM is consumed locally, while the balance goes to GCC and other countries in the world.”

According to statistics, facial tissues represent 65 percent of the total tissue consumption in the country. As far as the general paper industry is concerned, production and printing of paper is largely done in the UAE for the entire Arab world. Dubai is thus truly the printing house of the region.

Lamyae Zafati, Exhibition Manager, Al Fajer Information and Services, organizers of Paper Arabia 2014, said: “Dubai has an edge over other producers of paper because of speedy delivery, cost-effectiveness and lower freight costs.”

She added: “The UAE is playing a key role in the re-export of paper and tissues to the entire Mena region. It is also a producer of paper through key major factories based in the country. Paper industry in the region has grown significantly and Paper Arabia 2014 reflects our efforts to highlight major regional industry segments which have been silently contributing to the economic growth.”

The paper industry has seen major developments over the past few years and, with the exponential rise in its growth potential, leading local and regional players are now in the midst of strategic investment and market expansion.

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