Today the paper industry has, like many others, been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. But the industry is expected to bounce back in 2022, and by 2023, it’s predicted to reach new heights of $1, 031 billion. Here’s how that might happen.

The world was affected by the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020, as people rushed to pile up this bathroom product. In reality, there was never a true shortage. It’s not clear exactly why the mass hysteria occurred.

To nobody’s surprise, today the tissue market is still booming. Demand for toilet paper, tissues and paper towels has been growing for years. As an added bonus, many companies are now branching out into medical tissue papers. Some have temporarily switched to surgical face masks and gowns to meet the demand for personal protection equipment.

But there’s more surprising medical use for paper: rapid tests. The system is widely used for many routine tests, such as to detect pregnancy and HIV. And there are already rapid tests out there that use paper to identify if a person has developed antibodies to Covid-19.

Equally, food hygiene has become more of a concern. There has been a sharp decrease in the number of customers wanting to reach into a pot to fetch spoons, forks or straws for obvious reasons, causing restaurants to use more and more disposable packaging. Meanwhile, schools have started to provide paper lunch boxes so that students don’t need to eat all together in a canteen.

Then there’s art. After months of lockdowns and disruption to social calendar, practical hobbies such as DIY, crafts, art and baking have recently experienced a renaissance. Some paper companies have seen more interest in paper for education, art and design.

Of course, some aspects of paper production have taken more of a hit.

“We supply a lot of paper that ends up in hotel, so we’ve seen a drop in sales,” says Nick Bizzell, the director of London-based Bizzell Paper. But Bizzell is still optimistic. He pointed out that demand for certain types of paper, such as the A4 kind used in offices, has been shrinking for decades, after losing the battle against computers. But overall the paper industry is growing.

Paper is now protecting us from viral infections and boredom, and it will always be a valuable material in our life.

【小题1】What does the underlined phrase “the mass hysteria” probably refer to?

A．The mass production of toilet paper in 2020.

B．The true shortage of toilet paper caused by the public.

C．The effect of Covid-19 on the paper industry.

D．The unreasonable storage of toilet paper among the public.

【小题2】Which of the following have witnessed an increasing demand for paper?

A．Rapid tests and physical checkup.

B．Surgical face masks and eating tools.

C．Medical protection equipment and food packaging.

D．The treatment of Covid-19 and pregnancy detection.

【小题3】What causes more use of paper in art?

A．Being unable to socialize.

B．The promotion of paper companies.

C．Being interested in art education.

D．The marketing strategies of paper companies.

【小题4】What’s the text mainly about?

A．Paper industry on the decline.

B．Paper industry in the recovery.

C．The blow of Covid-19 to the paper industry.

D．The effect of medicine on the paper industry.