You may have heard that there is some challenges developing in the manufacturing of copy paper in Australia and I wanted to take the opportunity to give you an update on how this may impact supply.
You may be aware that in Australia we only have one manufacturer of copy paper, Opal Australian Paper. Due to court order issued by VicForests, a key supplier of wood to Opal, they have advised the organisation is no longer able to undertake timber harvesting in that area until further notice. While Opal is investigating alternative sources of supply, the company does not expect to be able to procure the volumes of wood required to address the supply shortfall until further notice. As a result of this Opal have advised they are unable to accept any further orders of copy paper until further notice.
COS has a strong supply position that focuses on multi country sourcing. As part of our supply chain risk mitigation approach we do our very best to never rely on a single supplier or country for any category. In the case of copy paper COS does not source our virgin copy paper from Opal Australian Paper and as such we are not affected by the issues currently being experienced. COS do source our recycled papers from Opal and its likely in Q1 2023 we will experience intermittent supply issues on COS 20% and Muru 100% recycled papers as we mobilise alternative import sources.
COS will not be putting in place any limits on copy paper, and you can purchase as much as you need. We have two excellent virgin grades that are best in class environmentally responsible papers available for immediate delivery. New Future copy paper is the lightest weight, plastic free paper available in Australia and we also have a high white, carbon neutral option available in COS Premium.
Whilst COS will be impacted minimally by this Australian supply chain interruption we want to express our sincere empathy to all employees at Opal Australian Paper as they face uncertainty during this difficult time.
We will continue to keep you informed via COSnet and your account manager. You’re also welcome to reach out to customer service any time to learn more about the papers available for immediate delivery in your city.
Belinda Lyone
Co-CEO
