Nekoosa discontinues MagneCote®

Paper Excellence Canada announced the curtailment of operations at its pulp mill in Mackenzie, British Columbia targeting the final week of June 2020. Paper Excellence has substantially invested to improve mill operations since acquiring the Mackenzie facility in 2010. Despite best efforts by the company and its committed team of employees in Mackenzie, the COVID-19 global pandemic is having negative impacts on pulp markets creating conditions that no longer support the on-going operation of the mill. Furthermore, the deep fibre shortage in BC and the Mackenzie region have affected the mill’s competitiveness. This shortage was exacerbated by recent curtailment of sawmills in the Mackenzie region dramatically reducing economic fibre availability.

Crown van Gelder will start selling paper made with sugar beet in January 2021. This makes the Dutch paper manufacturer the first in the world to produce 'sugar beet paper' at an industrial level. The new product line called 'Crown Native' uses less wood fibres to achieve a reduced impact on the environment of 16% compared to traditional paper. Crown Native was developed with the Dutch agricultural cooperative Royal Cosun as a strategic partner. The agricultural process residue from Cosun's production process, beet pulp, forms a valuable resource for the paper. With Crown Native, Crown Van Gelder has succeeded in creating paper made out of 20% beet pulp, thus achieving environmental gains in several areas. Due to the local sourcing, far less transport is required. As a result, Crown Native realises a significant reduction in CO2 emissions and particulate matter formation. Moreover, by using beet pulp, the production process requires less water. 'And because we're using a residual source, no additional agricultural land is needed,' Dronkers adds. A big advantage of using sugar beet pulp is that it is FDA compliant. 'The pulp is classified as a former food product,' Dronkers explains. As a result, Crown Native is approved and suitable for food packaging, unlike recycled paper for example. Dronkers: ‘This makes our sugar beet paper the ideal choice for product packaging, but also for shopping bags and promotional print. Crown Native is the perfect fit for brands with a sustainability ambition.’

Total European shipments of graphic papers in May were down 9.1% vs. 2021 and are down 9.0% year-to-date. Total European shipments of newsprint in May were down 7.6% vs. 2021 and are down 6.4% year-to-date. Total European shipments of sc-magazine in May were down 8.0% vs. 2021 and are down 9.3% year-to-date. Total European shipments of coated mechanical reels in May were down 22.0% vs. 2021 and are down 19.4% year-to-date. Total European shipments of uncoated mechanical (improved & others) in May were down 10.6% vs. 2021 and are down 10.2% year-to-date. Total European shipments of coated woodfree in May were UP 3.6% vs. 2021 and are UP 2.6% year-to-date. Total European shipments of uncoated woodfree in May were down 9.9% vs. 2021 and are down 11.2% year-to-date.