International Paper Announces Price Increase on UFR Products

Sappi North America Inc., a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper, packaging products and pulp, announced today its innovative collaboration with Biophilica, the company behind Treekind®. Treekind is one of the only plastic free leather alternatives that is 100% biobased, home compostable, non-toxic, and PETA vegan certified, notably benefiting from Sappi’s textured release paper to give the material an ultra-realistic look and feel. Understanding the important role that touch plays in consumers’ relationship with products, it was paramount for Biophilica to create a product with an authentic, non-plastic-like feel. Touch has the power to shift consumers’ minds into a deeper level of engagement – one more conducive to building a lasting relationship and connection with a brand. To help facilitate this vision in 2022, Sappi stepped in to deliver a high-fidelity, 3D, leather grain solution to impart texture to Treekind through the application of Sappi’s Ultracast Viva® release paper.

The Navigator Company announced today that it will increase paper prices in Europe from 4% to 6%, setting a minimum of 30 euros net per tonne. This increase will be effective for all dispatches from 1st February, and the Company will inform shortly about the details of the new prices to be applied by grade. This decision was taken due to unsustainable low levels of profitability across the industry in Europe and following the recent announcements of worldwide increases in pulp and logistics costs.

GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. is pleased to announce plans to restart the second paper machine at its Kapuskasing Paper Mill. GreenFirst has received over $1.2 million from the Skills Development Fund of the Government of Ontario, Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development to support the recruiting, hiring, and training of more than 45 new employees. On August 28, 2021, GreenFirst acquired the Kapuskasing Paper Mill from Rayonier Advanced Materials, which was only operating one paper machine at the time. GreenFirst will begin to restart the second paper machine in May, thereby increasing direct employment to almost 300 jobs in Kapuskasing and surrounding areas, these positions welcome youth, women and Indigenous applicants. The restart will occur in multiple phases starting in May, with the goal of full production (7 days – 24 hours operation) by October 2022.