Tissue World Magazine | Fisher
A DYNAMIC TISSUE MARKET DESPITE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL BARRIERS In one of the world’s fastest-growing regions, the industry is strategically poised for expansion with populations and disposable incomes increasing. Bruce Janda, Senior Consultant of Fisher International reports.
T
he Middle East stands as a prominent birthplace of human civilisation, with shared linguistic and religious origins. However, enduring differences and disputes that have simmered for centuries and even millennia continue to hinder the development of pan-regional cooperation across many business sectors. Tissue is one of those. It is politics, rather than geography, that dictates economic collaboration and trade within the region. Therefore, an analysis of tissue demand and production in the area must take into consideration these factors. The component countries of the Middle East are not well defined and vary by political instead of geographic definitions. Statistical sources use several different definitions. This report considers Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE, and Yemen. Table 1 summarises key differences in the region derived from the World Factbook. Economic and trade rate data is more difficult to obtain in closed societies. Some of these figures are the best estimates of the source noted. In this case, the Palestinian Territories are broken separately as Gaza and West Bank. Data shown in the table are mostly 2023 estimates and go no earlier than 2021, except as noted for Syria and Yemen. The disparity between rich and poor countries in the Middle East is shocking and probably the result of the current and historic conflicts. Despite this,
18 | Sep/Oct
TW23-SO.indb 18
tissue demand and production continue to increase. Several factors that drive the growth of the tissue industry in the Middle East include: • The growing population and disposable income. The Middle East is one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, and the population is expected to reach over 600m by 2050. This growth is accompanied by an increase in disposable income, making tissue products more affordable for more people.
• The increasing awareness of hygiene and
sanitation. There is a growing awareness of the importance of hygiene and sanitation in the Middle East. This leads to increased use of tissue products for personal hygiene and cleaning.
• The rising demand for tissue products from
hotels, restaurants, and other businesses. The tourism industry is increasing, driving the need for tissue products from hotels, restaurants, and other companies. However, it’s important to acknowledge some headwinds that impair the development of a robust regional tissue sector, such as:
• Lack of access to recycled paper. The Middle East lacks robust access to recycled paper, a primary raw material for tissue production. This forces tissue manufacturers to rely on virgin wood pulp, which is more expensive.
www.tissueworldmagazine.com
08/10/2023 07:59
