Toilet paper shortage could be coming to US thanks to Trump tariffs

President Donald Trump‘s trade war is triggering alarm among global paper suppliers — one that could lead to a dreaded shortage in US supermarkets of a household staple: toilet paper.Suzano SA, the world’s largest exporter of pulp, said US levies are disrupting shipments of the key raw material used in making toilet paper and other hygiene products.The Brazilian company, which produces bleached hardwood pulp used by many American manufacturers, reported a 20% drop in US-bound exports in April compared to the same time last year.“In response to the tariffs, we’ve had to pass increased costs on to US buyers,” João Alberto de Abreu, Suzano’s chief executive, told Bloomberg News.The São Paulo-based company warned that continued trade barriers could worsen supply chain tensions and push prices higher.Brazil, like other US trading partners with the exception of China, currently faces a 10% universal tariff on exports.The warning comes as memories of the 2020 toilet paper shortages, sparked by panic buying and pandemic-related logistics snarls, remain fresh for many consumers.While current store shelves remain stocked, industry analysts say it wouldn’t take much to trigger renewed instability in the paper supply chain — especially if US buyers begin stockpiling in anticipation of further trade disruptions.The pulp industry is already feeling the effects.Shares of Suzano tumbled as much as 4.3% during trading Friday in São Paulo, hitting their lowest intraday level since June, as investors reacted to signs of mounting tariff pressures.Executives at Suzano say the tariff uncertainty is throwing off contract negotiations and pricing.

Leonardo Grimaldi, an executive vice president at the company, said during an earnings call that the entire industry is entering a phase of instability.“Since customers are still struggling to forecast how tariffs can affect their production plans, either directly or indirectly, all pulp buyers and sellers are in price-dis...