The cardboard production in Spain reached 5,286 million square meters in 2018, which represents a growth of 1.6% compared to the previous year. Spain thus consolidates as the fourth largest European producer of this material, only behind Germany, Italy and France.
According to data from the Spanish Association of Manufacturers of Containers and Cardboard Packaging (AFCO), the growth registered by the sector in 2018 exceeds the average one achieved by the Spanish industrial production in the same year by 0.8%.
In Spain, the sector consists of 72 corrugating companies and 90 factories dedicated to the manufacture of cardboard, with a total turnover - direct and indirect - of 5,167 million Euro and 23,600 jobs.
From the point of view of consumption, 23.3% corresponded to the agricultural sector, followed by 16.4% of food products, 15% of beverages and 8.7% of audio, electronic components and automotive. The average consumption of cardboard per inhabitant per year was 59.31 kilos.
The president of AFCO, Leopoldo Santorromán, highlighted the "importance of the paper and cardboard value chain". The activity contributes to 4.5% of the Spanish GDP. "In short, the cardboard sector has done well in 2018, favored by the growth in the global demand for sustainable materials by both companies and society as a whole," says Santorromán.
