HELSINKI,— According to special researcher Lauri Hetemäki of the Finnish Forest Research Institute, consumption of newsprint and office paper is decreasing in the Western countries. He expects also demand for magazine paper to decrease in the long run as the electronic media becomes more common. The forest industry views Hetemäki's statements critically. Finnish KCL, a research company owned by the Finnish pulp, paper and board industries, believes the demand for paperboard will grow. According to KCL's President Jukka Kilpeläinen, the Finnish forest industry uses a lot of money on research and product development.
According to Finnish UPM's technology manager, demand for bulk products will continue to grow on developing markets, and new, smart products have to be created for the mature markets. According to M-real's research manager, paper is still a cost-effective and good information platform, but electronic paper will a fact in the future.