After avoiding many of the market-related problems other paper stock grades have experienced this past summer, sources foresee a downward price correction for office grades, notably sorted office paper (SOP). A broker based in the Mid-Atlantic region says a decline in pricing for SOP throughout the eastern half of the United States can be expected.
Such a decline would be in line with price decreases seen in sorted white ledger (SWL) and coated book stock.
Another source says that as the price spread between SWL and SOP narrows, some consumers will increase their use of SWL at the expense of SOP. This could put more downward pressure on SOP.
Despite the decline, SOP prices overall are still fair, especially when compared with a number of lower grades of recovered fiber, the source adds.
(Additional information on secondary paper markets, including breaking news and consuming industry reports, is available from SDB’s sister publication Recycling Today at www.RecyclingToday.com.)