MATERIALS
Pulp & Paper
World’s Most Productive Companies
Pulp & Paper
Pulp and Paper companies produce wood pulp, paper, and paperboard. Productivity is cyclical and asset-intensive, tracking pulp demand, mill utilization, and the shift from graphic paper toward packaging and tissue grades. Mill efficiency and exposure to growing packaging grades increasingly separate the leaders from legacy graphic-paper producers.
2025 was a softer year, with the group near its 2019 baseline. No company in the group reached the 2026 World’s Most Productive Companies list this year. Gains were concentrated in the leaders, with most of the group giving back ground.
Productivity Snapshot
- Pulp & Paper ranks third of ten Materials peer groups in 2025, at an Industrial Productivity Index of 1.01, near its 2019 baseline.
- 1 of 3 companies grew productivity in 2025.
- No company in the group earned a place on the 2026 World’s Most Productive Companies list this year.
- The group sits near its 2019 baseline despite easing in 2025, holding up better than most of Materials through the cycle.
Interested in learning more about how you stack up, where to improve, and the impact on margin, cash, inventory, and assets?