Global overcapacity and ongoing economic uncertainty will continue in the near term, Fastmarkets panelists said, with implications for both virgin and recycled paper. | Huguette Roe/Shutterstock
Although the North American containerboard market saw a surge of new recycling machines in 2023, producers are waiting to see how the market develops before investing in new capacity, according to experts at Fastmarkets. Continue Reading
An economic slowdown in China has rippled upstream to the U.S. recovered fiber market, driving stagnation in OCC prices. | Siwakorn1933/Shutterstock
U.S. demand for recovered fiber is healthy and will continue to grow in the near future. But prices have plateaued or dipped of late, as domestic fiber supply has caught up and China’s economic slowdown has reduced overseas demand. Continue Reading
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. Continue Reading
The tool looks at size, material type and other attributes to determine whether a given package is compatible with the current U.S. residential recycling system. | Yuriy Golub/Shutterstock
A recently launched design feedback resource from the Recycled Materials Association has three key objectives: to decrease contamination at MRFs, increase quality of bales sent to paper mills and provide immediate feedback to producers about the recyclability of their packaging. Continue Reading
Paper mill operators are raising prices for finished goods in part to cover rising feedstock costs. | 1933bkk/Shutterstock
Major recycled paper mill operators have seen a significant financial impact from rising recovered fiber prices this year. But in recent earnings calls, publicly traded firms say the roller coaster market is entering a flat stretch. Continue Reading
Revising its past years of OCC recycling rates, Bloomberg Intelligence is now estimating rates of 63% in 2022 and 66% in 2023. | Kenishirotie/Shutterstock
Bloomberg Intelligence has once again estimated a significantly lower OCC recycling rate than the paper manufacturing sector, and it revised past years’ rates with an updated methodology. Continue Reading
Fiber exports continued their multiyear downward trajectory overall, though Canada and Malaysia marked double-digit increases on the year. | F-Armstrong-Photography/Shutterstock
Recovered paper exports angled downwards during the first half of 2024, as major overseas buyers decreased their purchases by as much as 30% year over year. On the plastics side, more than half the material that left the U.S. stayed in North America.
WM is planning a new MRF in the Portland, Oregon, metro area. | Ken Wolter/Shutterstock
WM is planning a new $35 million MRF in the Portland, Oregon, area that will process up to 140,000 tons of residential materials annually and come on-line as early as December of this year. Continue Reading
Recycled fiber prices have increased steadily throughout 2024, a boon to MRF operators but contributing to the economic challenges cited in the closure of a Washington mill. | Kenishirotie/Shutterstock
Just five years after converting to use 100% recycled fiber in containerboard production, McKinley Paper Company will idle its mill in Port Angeles, Washington, in August. A company representative said West Coast OCC prices and depressed containerboard demand contributed to the closure. Continue Reading
Amazon largely focused on its efforts to reduce plastic use, such as substituting recycled paper for flexible fillers and making packaging suitable for curbside collection. | Skorzewiak/Shutterstock
In its 2023 sustainability report, global retail powerhouse Amazon highlighted its efforts to reduce packaging materials and to make its packaging suitable for curbside collection but provided few details on PCR usage. Continue Reading