The newly formed conglomerate operates 63 paper mills and 500 converting facilities worldwide. | Trainman111/Shutterstock
With a long-in-the-works merger finally official, recycling collector and major fiber end user Westrock is now one with the European packaging firm Smurfit Kappa. The conglomerate will use an estimated 15 million tons per year of recycled fiber globally. Continue Reading
Amazon aims to replace 100% of plastic air pillows in delivery packaging with paper filler by the end of the year. | Sundry Photography/Shutterstock
Amazon will send 15 billion fewer plastic pillows into the waste stream after replacing 95% of its product protection system with paper in North America, the company recently announced. Continue Reading
Greif, Graphic Packaging and Sonoco all recently announced they will raise uncoated recycled paperboard prices. | Mustafa Hamdiev/Shutterstock
Multiple paper packaging giants have announced price increases for their uncoated recycled paperboard in recent weeks due to rising recycled fiber prices and demand. Continue Reading
Crossroads Paper is now planning a 30-month construction project for a mill near Winnemucca, Nevada. | Max Barnum/Shutterstock
The team behind a proposed Utah recycled paper mill has resurfaced with plans that move the site west, now aiming to build a mill in northern Nevada to process mixed paper and OCC into 350,000 tons per year of recycled containerboard. Continue Reading
Paper companies are looking to offset rising OCC costs through measures like price increases for their products. | Kenishirotie/Shutterstock
OCC end users have been paying consistently higher prices for the recovered fiber grade since last fall, and it played heavily into their discussions of first-quarter earnings this year. Continue Reading
Although recycled pulp export activity has slowed considerably, Total Fiber Recovery has started up its mill in Virginia and is producing bales of dried recycled pulp for export and domestic sale. | Photo courtesy Total Fiber Recovery
In May 2018, as the global recycling industry was reeling from the Chinese government’s move to ban or heavily restrict imports of key recovered paper grades, the largest paper company in China made an investment that drew some attention. Continue Reading
A panel at last week’s Plastics Recycling Conference dug into the question: “The Switch to Paper Packaging: Fad or New Norm?” | Big Wave Productions/Resource Recycling Inc.
Paper is on the march against plastic, taking its place in several forms of protective packaging, food wrappers, beverage containers and bread bag clips as manufacturers pivot to a more commonly recycled, and seemingly more sustainable, material. Continue Reading
China’s withdrawal from the fiber export market and a rise in e-commerce created an opportunity for domestic mills to consume more recycled fiber. | BAO Images Bildagentur/Shutterstock
All but two of 25 confirmed recycled paper mill projects announced over the past five years are completed, and new capacity activity has slowed considerably, according to a recent review led by the Northeast Recycling Council. Continue Reading
After a slump in demand, the containerboard market is heating up again, bringing with it a need for recycled fiber feedstock. | DenisNata/Shutterstock
Major mill operators forecast a year of recovering demand in the containerboard market, translating to a greater need for the OCC and other fiber grades needed to supply those paper machines. Continue Reading
Cascades is permanently closing a recycled paper mill and two corrugated converting plants due to market conditions and other factors. | Pitipat Wongprasi/Shutterstock
North American fiber packaging giant Cascades announced that a recycled paper mill and two corrugated converting plants have closed permanently, citing a handful of factors including market conditions. Continue Reading