We Europeans consume around 14.3 kilograms of tissue paper per person (consumer and professional products in total) annually. What we use most in our daily lives is toilet paper – which accounts for nearly ten kilograms, or 68 per cent, of our annual consumption. Our consumption of household towels amounts to roughly three kilograms, or nearly a quarter of our paper consumption, while handkerchiefs, of which we consume slightly over one kilogram, account for the remaining 10 per cent.
Europeans consume annually 8.7 million tonnes of tissue paper overall. Tissue paper consumption is greatest in Germany, driven by the size of the market: the country’s annual paper consumption is 1.5 million tonnes, and on average, Germans use more paper per capita than other Europeans. Great Britain is the second largest market, with approximately 1.1 million tonnes. Central and Eastern Europe is the third largest market area with 1 million tonnes, and the Nordic countries come in fourth place with approximately 0.5 million tonnes.
Tissue papers are a culturally bound product category
If you go to a shop in, say, in Sweden or in Slovakia, the shelf content looks very different in these two countries. One thing the European markets have in common is the wide product range: shops sell both private labels and well-known brand products. Fresh fibre-based products account for around 70 per cent of European tissue paper consumption, and recycled fibre products for the remaining 30 per cent.
In Central Europe, private labels are especially popular, and account for nearly 80 per cent of the German market, for example. In Eastern Europe, like Poland and Czechia, various brand products are offered in addition to private labels. In several Nordic countries, brand products have an established market position. Nordic consumers favour pure white paper, while various scented and patterned alternatives are offered in addition to white in the UK and Central and Eastern Europe.
Shop-shelf purchase decisions
Consumers appreciate softness and strength in toilet papers. As for household towels, we want them to be strong and absorbent. In addition to price, the good quality of tissue paper plays a role in purchase decisions. The third factor is the speed and ease of purchase. Our customary buying habits and the familiarity of a brand and product also influence and guide our purchase decisions – it is easy to buy a tried product. We make our purchase decision very quickly, typically in around five seconds.
“When selecting tissue products, there are several aspects to consider: product quality, price and brand, but also how close the product is produced and which raw material has been used. Even when the purchase decision is made quickly, many things can be told to consumers either on the package or beforehand, with relevant brand communication. As an example, the cheapest product alternatives can often turn out to be more expensive if they run out more quickly. As in many other categories, it’s hard to recognise all the factors, one should consider when making a purchase decision, but a lot can be done to enlighten the busy shopper’s decision-making,” says Johanna Kesti, SVP Marketing, Communications and Sustainability, Metsä Tissue.