On August 14, 2025, Ilim Group, the leader of the Russian pulp and paper industry, launched a premium bleached softwood pulp branded as Polar Bear with China as a target market.
Polar Bear bleached softwood pulp complies with the highest quality standards and is intended for production of premium quality papers and packaging. This new product is a response to the growing demand for premium quality pulp and higher consumption of paper and packaging materials in China.
Ilim Group has become a key Russian exporter of pulp and krafliner to China with its 2010-2024 export volumes comparable to aggregate exports of other P&P companies. In 2024, Ilim’s exports to China amounted to a record-high 2.1 million tons. A consistent increase in supply volumes strengthens Ilim’s leadership and confirms strategic importance of the Chinese market for the Russian pulp and paper industry.
Polar Bear pulp is produced at Ilim Group’s Ust-Ilimsk Mill. A large-scale upgrade between 2016 and 2019 ensures production of high-quality products compliant with international standards.
“Polar Bear is not just a new product launched in the market, it is our response to contemporary challenges and growing expectations of our Chinese partners. We are confident that Polar Bear will become a symbol of reliability and quality for paper and packaging manufacturers as well as contribute to the development of partnership between Russia and China in the P&P industry,” said Alexey Chernyaev, Senior Vice President, Sales, Supply Chain Management and Packaging, JSC Ilim Group.
Prior to Polar Bear launch, Ilim Group’s specialists performed trial runs and tested the product together with the customers using their equipment to ensure maximum compliance with customer requirements.
Information on Polar Bear, Premium Pulp, Ilim Group’s New Product
Ilim Group is the leader of the Russian pulp and paper industry and the largest Russian exporter of pulp and paper products to China and other Asian countries. Ilim leases 8.6 million ha of timberlands and produces 4 million tons of products annually. Ilim Group’s production assets include 3 pulp and paper mill in the Arkhangelsk and Irkutsk Oblasts and 2 corrugated box plants in the Moscow and Leningrad Oblasts. Ilim has 16 thousand employees in 7 regions where it operates.
More than 50% of Ilim Group’s products are exported to China where the Company has a developed distribution trader network, including the largest state-owned companies, and an impressive pool of consumers.
With a cutting-edge equipment and highly qualified personnel, Ilim Group’s Ust-Ilimsk Mill produces products compliant with international standards. The Mill has a full wood processing cycle in place and manufactures pulp, kraftliner, and wood chemicals.