International Paper announces $52 million upgrade in Louisiana (bicmagazine.com)

Paper has been manufactured in Laakirchen for the past 150 years and now with its entry into the packaging paper market, Laakirchen Papier AG has ushered in a new era. Indeed, the decision to break into the containerboard field will secure the long-term success of the company, as with a volume of 26.4 million t/y and annual growth of between two and three per cent, the strong, European corrugated board market segment offers considerable future potential for the paper industry. Accordingly, the production of lightweight containerboard made entirely from recycled fibres on PM10 started in Laakirchen mid of October. The paper machine meanwhile runs stable and produces paper on A quality level. The PM10 will now manufacture up to 450,000 t/y of containerboard based on recycled paper with working widths of 7.5 m at a speed of 1,600 m/min. This production switch also required additional investments at the company location. These included new plant for the treatment of wastepaper fibres and anaerobic used water cleaning, storage areas for recycling paper, and the completion of a warehouse with an automated crane system for the new products. Click Read More below for additional information.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) released its Q1 2024 Boxboard report. According to the report, total boxboard production in Q1 decreased 2% compared to Q1 2023. The boxboard operating rate in Q1 2024 was 89.2%, up 1.3 points from the same quarter last year. *Solid Bl. Folding - Domestic production increased 3% compared to Q1 2023. *Solid Bleached Boxboard unmade orders were up 22% compared to the end of the previous quarter and decreased 14% compared to March 2023. *Uncoated Recycled Boxboard production remained essentially flat (-0.3%) compared to Q1 2023.

The paper mailer has passed Western Michigan University Old Corrugated Container Equivalency (WMU OCC-E) testing protocol. The testing protocol was developed by WMU and certified by the Fibre Box Association, which represents 95% of the corrugators in the United States. Passing this third-party independent testing and certification makes EverTec mailers qualified to use a recyclable symbol according to the protocol established by Federal Trade Commission Green Guides. In addition, the Pregis EverTec mailer has also been assessed by the How2Recycle® program and deemed widely recyclable. The EverTec mailer is a sustainable protective packaging solution that helps customers achieve their environmental goals without sacrificing performance. The mailer is a lightweight, durable package that can decrease material waste, as well as reduce reliance on corrugated boxes and improve distribution efficiency—all while providing consumers with a curbside recyclable option. To meet significant market demand, Pregis has invested in several new U.S. manufacturing sites in 2021 and will be increasing capacity further in 2022.