The business asked to remove barriers to the import of waste paper into Russia from the EU, where its cost is lower. Now there is a five percent duty on the import of this recyclable material, as well as a number of legislative restrictions due to the possible presence of contamination in it.
The SRO Association “League of Waste Paper Converters” (uniting 75% of participants in the waste paper collection and processing industry in the Russian Federation) appealed to the Ministry of Industry and Trade with a proposal for measures to stabilize the situation in the industry. In particular, the association proposes to establish a zero rate of import customs duty (now 5%) and send a note to the European Union (EU) to adjust the procedure for exporting this recyclable material to our country. Izvestia got acquainted with a copy of the document.
The cost of various types of waste paper in Russia is about 40% more expensive than in Europe, said Andrei Tochin, director of the Information and Analytical Center for Foreign Trade. For example, a ton of cardboard waste paper in the Russian Federation costs 25 thousand rubles, and in the EU – 15 thousand, said Denis Kondratyev, managing partner of the information and analytical agency for the pulp and paper industry “Center for System Solutions”.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the increase in the cost of waste paper in late 2020 – early 2021 is due to a one-stage increase in demand for packaging products (corrugated packaging), which is associated with the introduction of restrictive measures due to the pandemic. At the same time, due to the continued high demand for packaging, a stable level of prices for these products remains, they added.
In general, the Ministry of Industry and Trade supports the zeroing of the import customs duty on waste paper in order to prevent shortages and growth in prices for waste paper, sanitary and hygienic products, as well as corrugated cardboard packaging, the department said.
Read more in the exclusive material from Izvestia:
Put on cardboard: business asks to remove restrictions on the import of waste paper from the EU