Due to a court order issued by VicForests in November 2022, a key third party wood supplier to Opal Australian Paper advised the organisation were no longer able to undertake timber harvesting in that area. Opal was unable to procure alternative sources of supply and their Maryvale Mill produced its last ream of copy paper on 21 January 2023. As a result copy paper will no longer be made in Australia. Opal Australian Paper continue as a business with a focus on packaging and related products.
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 did not source our virgin copy paper from Opal Australian Paper and as such were not affected by the issues on our virgin paper range. 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.
COS did produce our recycled papers with Opal and we have found an alternative source for Muru 100% recycled paper which has just started arriving around the country. We are very excited about the new Muru including that it is now Carbon Neutral, and manufactured by a PEFC certified mill in Indonesia that was recently awarded the Enhanced Singapore Green Labelling Scheme for Pulp and Paper Products (Enhanced SGLS). The paper itself will be PEFC certified, made of 100% Post-Consumer Waste, Carbon Neutral and no longer has a plastic strap on the carton, removing thousands of straps from landfill.
Unfortunately, at this stage, we have not found an alternative supplier for COS 20% Recycled paper and this product line will only be available whilst current stock sells out, which is estimated to be by the end of April 2023.
As a result of a significant reduction in supply availability you will notice that paper prices are increasing across the market. As a company, we always try our best to keep our prices reasonable and competitive but unfortunately the current situation has made it necessary to increase prices across the copy paper range. We understand that a price increase is never welcome news and we want to assure you we are doing everything we can to minimise the impact of this situation on our customers. We are committed to providing you with the highest quality products and services.
We will continue to keep you informed via COSnet and your account manager. You’re also welcome to reach out to customer service on 1300 88 22 44 any time to learn more about the papers available for immediate delivery in your city.
Warm regards
Belinda Lyone
Co-CEO
