Outputs and Customers
Currently, pulp exports make up 13.1% of the total forestry export industry worth 609 million dollars to the New Zealand economy annually. These are the details for our 10 largest foreign export markets. China is the biggest export market by a long way, we currently sell 34% of all pulp exports to china making that market alone worth 207.1 million dollars a year for wood pulp. Our second largest export market is Australia. We sell them 14% of wood pulp exports annually and this is worth 85.3 million dollars to our economy. Korea is the next largest consumer of New Zealand wood pulp buying 12% of our annual export. The Korean market is worth around 73.1 million dollars a year. South Africa and Japan come tie as our fourth largest export markets both buying 10% of our wood pulp a year. Both these markets are worth 61 million dollars annually to the New Zealand economy. Japan comes in next buying 7% of our annual export. This means that Japanese market is worth 42.6 million dollars to a year to our economy. Malaysia is the sixth largest buyer of New Zealand wood pulp buying annually 3% that is worth 18.3 million dollars to our economy. In seventh place Taiwan and Thailand both buy 2% of our annual export of wood pulp. Both these markets are worth 12.2 million dollars to our economy each year. And India buys 1% of our yearly wood pulp exports making them the smallest of our major export markets. They are worth 6.1 million dollars annually to our economy.
Further Processing Wood Pulp in New Zealand
After the pulping and bleaching process, the pulp is processed into the raw material used for papermaking. Further processing is dependent upon the kind of mill– integrated mills are paper mills where pulp is manufactured on-site and is then used immediately to create specific paper products. Non-integrated mills on the other hand have to purchase pulp produced by external domestic/international companies – this kind of product is called ‘market pulp’. Since market pulp is made to be used offsite, it usually undergoes additional processing steps such as washing, drying and bailing, in order to reduce freighting costs. If shipping costs are not high pulp is prepared in thick sheets of 50% moisture (Known as ‘wet lap’) instead.
-Paper and Cardboard
The largest part of our exported wood pulp is brought by China. The Chinese make mostly papers and cardboards that then get shipped and sold all around the world. But China is not the only market that we sell to that makes paper and cardboard out of New Zealand pulp, all the other major export markets also make paper and cardboard as well.
-Wood Pulp as Cellulose
* Cellulose for use in electronics, body armour and blast shields.
When wood pulp is turned into Nanocrystaline Cellulose there is around a 30% yield. Another major export market for New Zealand pulp is America. Alongside making paper and cardboard, America is starting to increase the production of Nanocrystalline Cellulose. This is a new wonder material that is said to be 8 times stronger than stainless steel and on par with carbon fibre, is transparent, light, conductive (electricity), mouldable (when turned in to very hard and dense strands), and a good insulator (of heat) and is very absorbent when freeze dried. It is made from removing the lignin from the wood pulp leaving the cellulose fibrils in a suspension of water. Some applications of Nanocrystalins Cellulose are in the tech industry such as digital screens because of its conducting properties, as body armour and blast proof shields for soldiers due to its strength and lightness. These properties of Nanocrystaline Cellulose make this a growing market along with the fact that wood is abundant and pulp is cheap.
Cellulose for use in Food.
America as well as the rest of the world are using cellulose as a filler in many food products to give structure and this is also a growing sector. Cellulose has no nutritional value for humans.
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Cellulose for use in cellophane production.
Most of our export markets also use the cellulose in cellophane production.
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Cellulose for use in firearms ammo production.
Cellulose is also used in firearms ammo production such as but this is a shrinking sector due to the invention of other more powerful, safe, and cheap explosives.
Products Made From Wood Pulp Exported Internationally
International Markets New Zealand Exports To
Written by: Conrad Williams