Examine the distribution and factors responsible for the pulp  & paper textile industry around the World.

Paper and pulp manufacturing are forest-based industries. Pulp is the raw material for paper indus­try and can be considered half processed paper. The basic raw material for the pulp and paper industry is the wood.  Softwood of the temperate forests is espe­cially suitable for making pulp and paper.

• As the maximum area covered by softwood coniferous for­ests lies in the Northern Hemisphere, the pulp and paper manufacturing activity is also concentrated more in these very areas. Due to this fact the leading producers of pulp and paper are all temperate coun­tries. Based upon the process of manufacturing, the pulp can be classified as chemical or mechanical.
• Leading producers of mechanically made pulp are Canada, US, Sweden, Finland and Russia. The lead­ing producers including both chemically and mechanically produced pulp are US, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Japan and Russia.
• The paper industry, though largely based upon pulp, uses substantial quantities of other raw materi­als also, such as grasses (India), bamboo, crop residues and other cellulose materials like cloth rags. Hence, a number of important manufacturers of paper do not have a pulp making industry. Canada, US, Japan, Russia, Finland, Sweden, UK and Germany are the leading producers of newsprint in the world.

Since the manufacturing of pulp is a weight los­ing process, it tends to be performed near the source of raw material.

Topics: GS-I: Factors Responsible for the Location of Industries in Various Parts of World