EDITOrial
Still waiting for the “new normal”
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s the world is learning to live with COVID-19, and possibly other kinds of pandemics, the “new normal” that is supposed to emerge from this crisis is still a concept to be shaped. Since the start of the current crisis, consumers have been forced to change their daily routine and spending habits, while producers have been struggling to adapt their human resources, supply chain, production lines and distribution processes to this new pattern. The big question for everyone is “how long will it last?”. It is one thing to adjust temporarily to a new environment, quite another to reinvent a way of life or a business model.
Stéphane Richard
PaperFIRST Mag is produced by ENP Publishing Group 36, rue Stanislas Julien 45000 Orléans (FRANCE) Tel : +33 238 42 29 00 - www.paperfirst.info info@groupenp.com RCS n°34303773500044 Publishing Director Stéphane RICHARD Editorial Contributors Richard CHO, Kaj FAHLLUND, Abhinav GOEL, Dr. Ronalds GONZALEZ MBA, Felix GRÜNEWALD, Michael HEROLD, Dr. Hasan JAMEEL, Paul JENKINS, Oskar LINGQVIST, ChangYuan LIU, Lyubov LYUBIMOVA, John NELSON, Julia SCHAEFER, John SCHROEDER, Roman SMORGUNOV, Donald STANLEY, Antonio SUAREZ, Gregory VAINBERG, Marianne VALTA, Dr. Richard VENDITTI, Franklin ZAMBRANO MBA Consulting Editor Teresa PRESAS Revision Zoe WELLENKAMP Graphic Design Gessica CAMBI Marketing and Sales François HENIN Printed in Europe © 2020 ENP Publishing – All rights reserved Legal Deposit November 2020 No reproduction allowed without permission of the publisher, who will not be held responsible for the contents provided by third parties. PaperFIRST Mag - ISSN n°2679-7240 Also by ENP Publishing: PaperFIRST Web, PaperFIRST App, TissueFIRST App, La Papeterie, El Papel, Pasta e Papel, Turkiye Kâğıt Sanayii, Paper MiddlEast. PaperFIRST Mag is dedicated to pulp and paper professionals. Those who work for a paper mill can be entitled to a free copy. To make sure you receive your own copy, apply for a subscription by sending an email to: paperfirst@groupenp.com.
What we have witnessed so far are just practical reorganisations, but nothing revolutionary. Maybe this is because, in the end, the general hope is to get back to the “old normal” in some ways. The plea made last Spring by many politicians and the civil society for relocalizing manufacturing capacities on their soil, is not taking off. The idea is overtaken by the reality of economic competitiveness. Many employers are desperate to have their staff coming back onsite to occupy their empty workstations. Real estate has a cost, and online management has its limitations. Sales people want to travel again to visit their clients, and meet potential leads at exhibitions and other events. Webinars and video chats are not ideal alternatives for networking. Restaurants and hotels in business districts cannot wait to see their tables and rooms full again. Working at 50% capacity, at best, does not cover the costs. As long as we see the present situation as an interlude, there will be no real disruption in our global system. However, the need, and wish, for a green and decarbonized economy is more obvious than ever. And although the final outcome of all this is still very uncertain, the P&P sector, and cellulose-based products in general, should benefit from this shift in the long term. Biomass, pulp, tissue, specialty paper, corrugated and cartonboard have the intrinsic properties to help our societies build a truly circular and sustainable ecosystem. In that respect, the ambitions of our industry globally are high, and its capacity to deliver is unmatched, as you can read about in our Global Challenges section. Enjoy the read, and stay safe. Stéphane RICHARD
PAPERFIRST MAG Autumn 2020
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