Canada's pulp and paper industry has major operations in Quebec, British Columbia, Ontario, New Brunswick, Alberta, and other forest-producing regions. Companies differ mainly in whether they focus on market pulp, packaging, tissue, printing paper, or specialty products.
Paper Excellence
Paper Excellence has a strong presence in British Columbia and Quebec through several pulp and paper operations. Its business is mainly focused on:
- Market pulp
- Paper
- Packaging materials
- Specialty paper products
Its operations are closely connected to Canada's large forest-resource regions.
Cascades
Cascades is headquartered in Kingsey Falls, Quebec, and has operations across Canada and North America. It is particularly well known for:
- Recycled containerboard
- Corrugated packaging
- Boxboard
- Tissue products
- Recycled paper products
Cascades has a particularly strong position in packaging and tissue.
Kruger
Kruger has major operations in Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick. Its businesses cover:
- Tissue products
- Packaging
- Specialty papers
- Newsprint
- Pulp
- Recycled paper products
Its consumer tissue business is especially well established, while its industrial operations cover several paper categories.
Canfor
Canfor's pulp operations are concentrated in British Columbia, including the Prince George area. It is mainly known for Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) pulp.
This pulp is used in products such as:
- Tissue
- Packaging
- Printing and writing paper
- Specialty paper
- Other fiber-based products
Mercer International
Mercer operates major pulp mills in British Columbia and is strongly associated with market pulp production. Its main products are different grades of chemical pulp, which are supplied to paper, tissue, packaging, and other manufacturers.
J.D. Irving / Irving Pulp & Paper
J.D. Irving has important operations in New Brunswick, particularly around Saint John. Irving Pulp & Paper is known mainly for kraft pulp, while the wider Irving business also includes paper and tissue operations.
Atlantic Packaging
Atlantic Packaging is based in Ontario and has a strong focus on recycled fiber and packaging. It is particularly known for:
- Containerboard
- Recycled paperboard
- Corrugated packaging
- Packaging products
This makes it more packaging-focused than companies whose main business is market pulp.
Where the Main Strengths Are
- Pulp: Canfor, Mercer, Paper Excellence, Irving Pulp & Paper
- Packaging: Cascades, Atlantic Packaging, Kruger
- Tissue: Cascades and Kruger
- Specialty paper: Kruger, Paper Excellence and other specialized Canadian producers
- Traditional printing/newsprint papers: Kruger and several integrated pulp-and-paper producers
Conclusion
Canada's major pulp and paper companies are spread across its main forest regions, with Quebec and British Columbia being especially important production areas. Companies such as Canfor and Mercer are strongly associated with pulp, Cascades and Atlantic Packaging have major packaging businesses, while Kruger and Cascades have significant tissue operations. The industry also includes companies producing specialty papers for industrial, printing, packaging, and other specialized applications.