Fastmarkets RISI International Containerboard Conference to focus on e-commerce & sustainability trends

Event to become annual occurrence to meet need for market insight

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Sep 05, 2019, 13:00 ET

BOSTON, Sept. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Fastmarkets RISI, the definitive source of commodity data and insights for the forest products industry, has announced that the International Containerboard Conference (ICC), scheduled this year on November 13-15 in Miami, Florida, will now be held annually to meet the need for timely containerboard market insights, due to e-commerce trends.

With online retail on the rise, attendees can anticipate e-commerce to be at the forefront of many presentations.

According to Derek Mahlburg, Senior Economist of Fastmarkets RISI "E-commerce and mail order retail uses about 7 times more corrugated per dollar of sales than traditional retail logistics," said Derek Mahlburg, Fastmarkets RISI Senior Economist and lead author of this all-new study. "So as e-commerce has grown at an average of 18% annually since 2000, it's become a significant driver of corrugated demand growth in North America."

US corrugated box shipments rose 1.9% per year in 2015-2018, the best run of sustained growth for the sector since the 1990s.

At the Conference, Mahlburg will join a panel to discuss the impact e-commerce has had on containerboard, the future of e-retail, and the growing consumer preference for "green" alternatives. The panel will analyze the influence public opinion has on international retailers' desire to find more sustainable options.

Conference attendees can also anticipate a containerboard market outlook from Ken Waghorne, Vice President of Packaging of Fastmarkets RISI. His analysis will include insight into what's behind recent softness in the global markets, divergent supply and demand patterns, and the impact of e-commerce on containerboard production.

To register for the 2019 International Containerboard Conference, please click here.

About Fastmarkets RISI

Fastmarkets is the leading price reporting, analytics and events organization for global commodities markets, including the forest products sector, as Fastmarkets RISI. Businesses working in the pulp, paper and packaging, wood products, timber, biomass, tissue, and nonwovens markets use Fastmarkets RISI data and insights to benchmark prices, settle contracts and inform their strategies worldwide. Along with objective price reporting and industry data, Fastmarkets RISI provides forecasts, analysis, conferences and consulting services to stakeholders throughout the forest products supply chain.

SOURCE Fastmarkets