this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2025
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Nobody has a global monopoly on paper. That's enough to prove this isn't quite accurate. Hell Ancient China originated both paper and hemp and they still use trees(though they did use hemp for a time).
Edit: I'm not going to respond individually to the comments below other then to say the leftist version of American Exceptionalism is on full display.
A global lobbyist group certainly would be interesting. In the US, these are some of the biggest companies with lots of pine trees and not a lot of hemp on their asset list.
Georgia-Pacific (owned by Koch Industries):
Pulp and paper products: around 10-15% market share in North America Tissue and paper products: around 20-25% market share in North America
International Paper:
Pulp and paper products: around 20-25% market share in North America Packaging paper: around 30-40% market share in North America
Weyerhaeuser:
Pulp and paper products: around 10-15% market share in North America Packaging paper: around 15-20% market share in North America
I'm aware of American market consolidation. None of that explains why hemp paper isn't a global industry supposedly due to monopolists if it was four times as efficient. America is just one player in this commodity. The worlds largest paper maker, China, doesn't particularly care about American industry lobbists. I think the economic differences between irrigated hemp farming and tree farming and logging are likely much more salient.
They do have some reach, Tesla is popular here because of tons of lobbying by Musk, though thats changing.
Most of the worlds hemp production, including for paper, is located in China, I dont know anything about the history or economics.