Woody Biomass

October 3, 2011 — The Editors

As fuel prices rise demand for alternative energy sources naturally grows. One such alternative energy for those burning fossil fuels in an industrial application is to burn woody biomass instead. Not surprisingly, pulp and paper manufacturers—many of whom are virtically integrated and thus own their primary input material, wood—around the world are using more woody biomass to fuel their own industrial applications.

Today’s market size is the volume of woody biomass—bark, saw dust, wood chips, forest residues and the like—used by the pulp and paper industry globally in 2009.

Geographic reference: World
Year: 2009
Market size: 1,400 trillion British Thermal Units which is roughly equal to 75 million oven dried metric tons.
Source: Wood Resource Quarterly – 4Q/2009, “Biomass Market Update – 4Q/2009,” page 10, available online here.
Original source: Wood Resources International
Posted on October 3, 2011

Posted in Energy, Paper Products, Wood Products. No Comments »

Disposable Diapers

June 3, 2011 — The Editors

Any parent with a small child knows that diapers are big business. The use of disposable diapers is highest in industrialized countries and together these countries account for most of this market, the U.S. alone accounting for nearly 20% of the global market according to the source. Today’s market size is an estimate of the size of the global diaper market in 2005 and 2010. The estimated size for 2010 is based on a forecast for that year made in advance. More recent estimates suggest that the global market surpassed $30 billion in 2010

Geographic reference: World
Year: 2005 and 2010
Market size: $22.2 and $26.6 billion respectively
Source: “Stratagist,” a report published in May 2009 by Feed-back.com, Market Analysis With Context and Perspective, available online here.
Original Source: Euromonitor International and Global Industry Analysts

Posted in Child Care Services & Products, Paper Products. 2 Comments »

Sodium Sulfate

May 10, 2011 — The Editors

Sodium sulfate is an inorganic chemical that looks like a white powder. Its chemical symbol is NA2 SO4. Sodium sulfate is used in the production of many products. Soaps and detergents account for the largest single share (35%) of its consumption. Other end uses of sodium sulfate include glass manufacturing which accounts for 18% of consumption, the paper and pulp industry uses 15%, and textile production account for 4% of consumption in the United States. The remaining 28% of consumption is divided among many smaller consuming end users.

The market size presented below is the estimated total value of all natural and synthetic sodium sulfate sold in 2010.

Geographic reference: United States
Year: 2010
Market size: $42 Million
Source: “Sodium Sulfate Statistics Information,” part of an annual series titled Mineral Commodities Summaries, published by the U.S. Geographical Survey and available online here.
Original Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, USGS

Posted in Chemicals, Household products, Paper Products. 2 Comments »

Book Wholesalers

February 10, 2011 — The Editors

The distribution network through which books get from the publisher to the reader is one that has been going through enormous change over the last few decades. First, the big box book stores moved into a space previously occupied by smaller retailers. Then, Amazon got into the business and started serving as both a wholesaler and a retailer, but one without a store front, operating entirely online. Since then, the rise of the electronic book, or ebook, has further altered the way that books make their way to the reader. The landscape for book distribution seems to be in a state of constant change these days, much as the music industry experienced a decade ago. The figures that follow are for the industry designated by the NAICS code 42-4920: Book, Periodical, and Newspaper Merchant Wholesalers.

Geographic reference: United States
Years: 1997, 2002 and 2007
Market size: Number of Establishments: 3,257; 3,464 and 2,789 respectively.
Market size: Sales: $33.63; $30.90 and $28.32 Billion respectively.
Market size: Employment: 89,309; 76,072 and 63,511 respectively.
Source: “Sector 42: EC0742I2: Wholesale Trade: Industry Series: Preliminary Comparative Statistics for the United States (2002 NAICS Basis): 2007 and 2002,” 2007 Economic Census, available online here. The data from 1997 are from the 1997 Economic Census.
Original Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

Posted in Books, Entertainment, Paper Products, Wholesalers. No Comments »

Retail Arts & Crafts Supplies Market

June 11, 2010 — The Editors

This market is very decentralized, the top three retailers accounting for only 16% of the market. Those leading retailers are Michaels Stores, Jo-Ann Fabrics, and A.C. Moore.
Geographic reference: United States
Year: 2008
Market size: $31 Billion
Source: “Deutsche Bank High Yield & Leveraged Finance Conference,” October 1, 2009, p. NA
Original Source: CHA, equity research and public filings

Posted in Arts & Crafts, Fabric & Fiber, Market Size, Paper Products. No Comments »

Size of the Foodservice Disposables Market

April 7, 2010 — The Editors

This category includes all the many disposable items used by restaurants and fast food establishiments: dishes, cups, aprons, trays, etc.
Geographic reference: World
Year: 2008
Market size: $40.5 Billion
Source: “World Foodservice Disposables,” November 2009, p. NA [Online] here.

Posted in Market Size, Paper Products. 1 Comment »
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