The paper was invented by the Chinese in 105 AD. The first, workshops established in İzmir and Beykoz in 18th century during the Ottoman Empire period were closed after a while since they could not compete with the foreign companies due to the capitulations and franchises to the foreigners.

Fourdrinier paper machine that provides continuous paper production was constructed in 1803. However, developments of this machine has taken place more than 25 years; then it started to be set up in the developed European Countries in different times between 1830 and 1846. The paper machine came to our country in 1843, 3 years before the Italy. The production in Halkapınar / İzmir managed to go on only for 6 months.

Because the trade in the hands of the minority groups was more charming and the importation was yielding more benefits had influences on the domestic production to be ceased.

It was not easy to establish our National Paper Industry even during the Republic period. The first facility with a capacity of 12.000 tones/year founded in İzmit in 1934 as a reflection of determined efforts of Mehmet Ali Kağıtçı, the pioneer of our Paper Industry, went into production in 1936 and produced first papers. SEKA which is, government enterprise, increased it’s capacity of paper and board production till 2000 up to 617.700 tones/year. After this date, SEKA’s investments were stopped being taken in privatization scope and left the sector since majority of its establishments had become privatized up to 2006.

The private sector joined in the Paper and Board Industry, which is a capital intensive sector, in 1960’s and its investments began to accelerate in 1970’s. The private sector establishments which have a production capacity of 15.000 tones/year, have begun to start producing in modern factories with bigger capacities since this date. At the end of 2006, paper-board production capacity reached to 2.779.902 tones/year. Excluding the privatized SEKA enterprises most of which do not work any more, some white paper producers factories supply their raw material as virgin pulp with the importation. The reason of this situation is the wood prices in our country that is too high to be compared with the world prices and risks of uncertainties in supply caused by the public enterprises are not taken by the private sector. The factories producing packaging paper utilized recycled fiber as a raw material.

1.670.000 tones waste papers were recycled in 2006. The rate of the waste paper recycled is at 40% level.

There are58 machines producing paper-board in our country at present.

Turkey’s position in the World:

The world’s paper and board production is 382 million tones. In the World rank, We are the 25th with a production of 2, 1 million tones of paper and board, 18th with a consumption of 4, 1 million tones of paper and board, 58th with a consumption of 55, 4 kilos of paper and board per capita.
Turkey’s being the 18th in production and 25th in consumption reveals the net position of Turkey as a country importing paper and board.