The output will be suitable for a variety of recycled-content packaging products, including bags and containerboard. | Safakcakir/Shutterstock
A Quebec paper mill has converted a newsprint machine to produce 132,000 short tons of recycled kraft paper per year, sourcing post-consumer fiber from eastern Canada and the Northeast U.S.
White Birch Paper on Sept. 5 announced the development at its Stadacona mill in Québec, noting that the converted machine will start up this month. The recycled kraft paper will be suitable for containerboard medium, paper bags, e-commerce mailers and similar fiber packaging products.
“White Birch Paper and its predecessors have been around for over 80 years, and have always strived to diversify our product offerings,” a spokesperson said in a statement to Resource Recycling. “Creating products using 100% recycled materials is not only good for the environment, but also provides us access to new global markets.”
The spokesperson declined to identify the paper grades the mill will use as feedstock, noting that is proprietary information, but the company stated it is all post-consumer material.
Besides its Stadacona mill, White Birch operates paper mills in Rivière-du-Loup and Gatineau, both in Québec. The company produces a variety of paper grades, including newsprint and high-grade printing papers.
Known by a number of names over its long history, White Birch was the original operator of the Bear Island paper mill in Ashland, Virginia. Originally a newsprint mill, White Birch idled the facility in 2017, citing declining demand and climbing production costs. Packaging giant Cascades purchased the facility in 2018 and converted it to produce recycled paperboard.