Major fiber end user Smurfit Westrock anticipates some, but not substantial, demand recovery for containerboard and consumer fiber packaging this year. | trainman111/Shutterstock
Price increases helped recover fiber end users’ bottom lines over the past quarter, even as questions about corrugated packaging demand swirled in the wake of multiple high-profile U.S. mill closures. Continue Reading
A recent report shows declines in pizza box demand, raising questions about the stability of OCC markets. | Mikhailov Studio/Shutterstock
A decrease in demand for pizza boxes could disrupt a key OCC end market, according to new research. Continue Reading
Residents were already “wishcycling” the cups, so the locally owned recycler decided to pave the way to formal acceptance. | Oasishifi/Shutterstock
The city of Omaha recently added paper take-out cups to its list of accepted items for recycling, with locally owned First Star Recycling leading the way in the resident-driven effort. Continue Reading
So far this year, Greif has closed two facilities and shut down a recycled paperboard machine. | JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock
Greif is ending its coated paperboard production on the West Coast by closing its recycled coated paperboard mill in Los Angeles, effective in June.
Almost 200 employees will be affected by the closure in St. Paul, Minnesota. | LookerStudio/Shutterstock
Smurfit Westrock is closing plants in Minnesota and Texas and is in discussions to do the same at two others in Germany, affecting around 650 employees total. Continue Reading
Owned by Chinese paper giant Nine Dragons, ND Paper cited growing demand for its products. | Courtesy of ND Paper
Illinois-headquartered ND Paper plans to restart a recycled paper machine at its Biron mill in central Wisconsin in the second half of 2025, citing growing demand for its packaging products. Continue Reading
One end user assumes OCC prices will hover around $100 per ton throughout 2025. | Siwakorn1933/Shutterstock
North American mill operators enjoyed a quarter of lower feedstock costs at the end of 2024 and are anticipating little OCC movement this year. But one operator says tariffs are contributing to so much uncertainty that the company can’t provide a detailed outlook. Continue Reading
Plastic pallet wrap is one material that’s eligible for an exemption from the state’s extended producer responsibility for packaging program. | St.Marco/Shutterstock
The Product Stewardship Institute and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality explained the different exemptions available to producers under the state’s incoming extended producer responsibility for packaging law in a recent webinar. Continue Reading
End users of recycled materials across several sectors have announced plans to shut down or relocate facilities of late. | Worradirek/Shutterstock
The latest earnings calls for recycled paper, glass and plastic end users and processors have brought facility closure and layoff announcements, at times contrasting with recent expansion plans. Continue Reading
Two fiber companies recently announced they are moving away from established price indices. | Mark Agnor/Shutterstock
This story has been corrected.
Packaging Corporation of America will stop linking its customer agreements to third-party pricing indexes, becoming the second major packager to announce similar intentions due to frustration with the leading index. Continue Reading