Market
Factors
The
following questions (#1-12 in the Study) are intended
to be addressed by this section of the Listening Study.
If new questions or discussions arise that relate to
markets, overall manufacturing structure, or distribution,
they are welcome here.
General
1.
What are the impacts of different paper grades (e.g.
which tend to have the most environmental attributes,
which are more difficult to incorporate environmental
attributes into, what are their typical types of customer
and subsequent attitudes, which hold larger environmental
market segments, what is the outlook for the grades
in a rapidly changing paper economy)?
2.
What are the impacts of different purchasing sectors
(governments, printers, corporate, environmental organizations,
others)?
3. How do distribution channels affect environmental
paper availability and acceptability (e.g. printers,
large-quantity distributors, small quantity vendors,
retail stores, office products stores, mail order)?
4. Are paper prices affected by government subsidies,
incentives, and externalized costs?
Manufacturers
and OEMs
5. The U.S. market is really a North American market,
with significant supply coming from Canada as well as
the U.S., and also some pulp from Mexico. Do the mills
in Canada, which are most closely aligned with U.S.
mills, differ in any significant ways? How does market
pulp and paper from other parts of the world impact
the U.S. market?
6.
How is the industry changing and what is the future
of paper?
7.
How does equipment design hinder or benefit the use
of environmental papers?
Paper
Purchasers
8.
What market-based purchasing campaigns are current?
9. Are paper buyers willing to pay more for environmental
papers, if necessary? If so, what are their considerations?
10.
What performance requirements inhibit consideration
of environmental papers? Are they justified?
11.
How can purchasers be persuaded to buy environmental
papers?
12.
What are purchasers' unconscious expectations of paper?
As
we gather more responses to these questions, we will
prepare a report to be available here.
Please
send us your comments!
|
