Paper Clips Industry News | Midland Paper Packaging + Supplies

Aptar Food + Beverage’s Rocket Next-Generation Sport Cap

Rocket sport cap offers visual consumer safety through a yellow-colored band that indicates whether the packaging has been opened on store shelves or at home. This solution redefines beverage packaging safety standards as the first one in the market providing a visual and intuitive non-detachable tamper evidence indicator. “Aptar is dedicated to creating solutions based directly on consumer feedback,” Nguyen Hoang, Sebastien, global business development director beverage, said. “Rocket was born from consumer insights to offer visual safety that provides reassurance, in addition to an improved drinking experience that brings the comfort and convenience consumers value.” In addition to its visible safety, Rocket provides further safety to consumers with its “no-dust”, double-wall lid design that protects the spout from external contaminants, in addition to being designed to adhere to child safety standards (BSDA & EN 71*). A large finger recess and audible closing “click” sound makes opening and closing Rocket easy and reassuring for consumers.

AAP November 2021 StatShot Report: Industry Up 8.3% for Month and 13.1% Year-to-Date

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) released its StatShot report for November 2021 reflecting reported revenue for all tracked categories, including Trade (Consumer Books), K-12 Instructional Materials, Higher Education Course Materials, and Professional Publishing. Total revenues across all categories for November 2021 were up 8.3% as compared to November 2020, coming in at $1.3 billion. Year to date revenues were up 13.1%, at $14.3 billion for the first eleven months of the year.

Hearst Agrees To Acquire CellTrak, A Leading Provider of Care Documentation Software Solutions

Hearst announced it has agreed to acquire CellTrak, a leading provider of care documentation software solutions in the personal care market. The announcement was made by Steven R. Swartz, Hearst president and CEO; Gregory Dorn, MD, Hearst Health president; Scott Decker, Homecare Homebase president; and Dan Wacker, CellTrak CEO. Terms were not disclosed and the transaction is expected to close in Q1 of 2022. CellTrak will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Homecare Homebase, with Wacker continuing as general manager of the company. “In-home care services have grown significantly the past 10 years as it is the preferred venue for people to receive care, and Homecare Homebase has been the leading platform providing vital workflow solutions in the home health and hospice categories,” said Dorn. “Extending their capabilities to personal care is the right next step for caregiving in the home.”

Ann C. Fisher Elected Vice Chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission

Postal Regulatory Commission Chairman Michael Kubayanda announced the election of Commissioner Ann C. Fisher as vice chairman of the agency. PRC regulations state that the Commission elect a member to serve as vice chairman for a term of one year. In making the announcement, Chairman Kubayanda said, “Congratulations to Vice Chairman Fisher on her election to the vice chair role for 2022. She brings extensive experience and knowledge of postal issues to the position. I would also like to thank Commissioner Ashley Poling for her excellent service as vice chairwoman throughout calendar year 2021.” Vice Chairman Fisher was appointed commissioner of the PRC in August 2019 following her nomination by President Donald J. Trump and confirmation by the United States Senate. Her experience with postal issues spans close to 3 decades.

The Publishing Industry Is Still Waiting for the New Normal (publishersweekly.com)

The publishing industry made it through 2020 in much better shape than most thought it would when the pandemic first emerged nearly two years ago. Though there were many challenges and some companies and segments of the industry struggled, most companies had good financial years, and overall industry sales were unexpectedly robust in 2020. With the hope that the negative effects of Covid-19 would ease in 2021, most industry members expected that the business would settle into something of a new normal last year. But that was not to be the case. The biggest story of 2021 was the ongoing impact the pandemic had on the industry. Virtual author tours, conferences, and fairs became standard practices in 2020, but there was hope that 2021 would eventually bring a return to in-person events—for the most part, however, those ideas were thwarted. During the summer, bookstores slowly began experimenting with live author appearances, usually held outdoors or in limited numbers indoors with masked customers. But as colder weather set in and different variants sprang up, in-person tours largely ended, and there's no certainty among the industry regarding when they might return in a significant way.

PEFC announces departure of CEO

We begin 2022 with the announcement that Ben Gunneberg is departing PEFC after a long and distinguished career as Secretary General/CEO. “The PEFC global alliance is grateful for Mr Gunneberg’s outstanding service and commitment to PEFC, as well as his significant accomplishments over his distinguished tenure,” said Eduardo Rojas Briales, Chair of PEFC International. "Under his leadership, PEFC has made a real and measurable difference in forests around the world and in the lives of people who depend on these forests." Mr Gunneberg has been the leading advocate for PEFC and for our common objective of promoting sustainable forest management during his 22 years of service. We are deeply grateful for his unwavering dedication, loyalty, and outstanding service.

Greif, Inc. Announces Definitive Agreement to Divest 50% Stake in Flexible Packaging Joint Venture to Gulf Refined Packaging for $123 million

Greif, Inc. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to divest its 50% share in the Flexible Packaging joint venture, or "FPS" to Gulf Refined Packaging (GRP) for a total cash consideration of $123 million, subject to certain conditions and post-closing adjustments. Greif expects to use the proceeds for debt repayment. "While we have worked closely with our joint venture partner, each partner held different views of the appropriate path forward for the FPS business," said Pete Watson, Greif's President and Chief Executive Officer. "As a result, we entered into a process to determine a single owner and utilized our disciplined capital allocation framework that resulted in an agreement to sell our ownership stake to GRP for significant value. I would like to thank our FPS colleagues for their hard work over the last 11 years and for their continued commitment to the business during the transition ahead."

Tetra Pak awards BillerudKorsnäs for being ahead in fighting climate change

BillerudKorsnäs has been awarded the Climate Prize as part of the supplier engagement initiative “Join us in protecting the planet”, driven by Tetra Pak. The company, which is one of BillerudKorsnäs’ most important customers, launched this initiative last year to create a movement aimed to accelerate sustainability actions across its value chain. “We commit to making safe food available, everywhere. And we promise to do that in a way that protects what’s good: protecting food, people and the planet. In order to shape the future with secure and sustainable food systems we are decarbonizing the materials we use as well as the production processes, and the key ingredient for success here is collaboration. Our supply partner BillerudKorsnäs has achieved the lowest greenhouse gas emissions for the products provided to us and has submitted the most ambitious climate action plan, that is approved by the Science Based Targets initiative in line with a 1.5°C pathway. By doing this, they are one step ahead and this award recognises that they are leading by example in fighting climate change,” says Lars Holmquist, Executive Vice President for Sustainability & Communications at Tetra Pak.

Packaging regulation is changing around the globe

What do Italy, Australia and India have in common? In each country, new regulations aimed at reducing packaging waste and promoting alternatives to plastic will come into force in 2022. While packaging is often necessary to protect products, everyone in the industry is looking for ways to reduce waste and overpackaging. This goal is complemented with efforts to make packaging more sustainable with renewable and recyclable materials. The quest for sustainability unites big brands with responsible consumers and – regulators around the world. In recent years, governments have responded to public concerns by devising rules that seek to tackle packaging waste – single-use plastics in particular – and improve recycling and waste management systems. Many of these new norms will become effective in the next years, creating a worldwide regulative trend that can help promote more sustainable packaging. Here’s a quick look into what various countries are currently doing to reduce packaging waste and how this affects companies and consumers.

Strikes started at most UPM mills in Finland – businesses still seeking to start negotiations with the Paperworkers’ Union

Members of the Paperworkers’ Union, the Finnish Electrical Workers´ Union and the Trade Union Pro have this morning (1-Jan-2022) started strikes at UPM mills in Jämsänkoski, Kouvola, Lappeenranta, Pietarsaari, Rauma, Tampere and Valkeakoski. According to the unions, the strikes will continue until 6 o’clock on 22 January 2022 unless a new collective labour agreement is reached before that. The Paperworkers’ Union has not excluded any work from the strike, not even tasks critical to the society, such as operating and maintenance of water treatment and power plants. UPM businesses falling under the strikes are UPM Pulp, UPM Biofuels, UPM Communication Papers, UPM Specialty Papers and UPM Raflatac. The strikes do not concern UPM Plywood and UPM Timber, both of which signed business specific collective agreements with the Industrial Union in December. Furthermore, UPM Energy operates as usual, as it complies with the generally applied collective agreements of the energy industry.

Huhtamaki has acquired full ownership of its paper bag joint venture in Poland

Huhtamaki has acquired full ownership of its Polish joint venture company Huhtamaki Smith Anderson sp. z o.o. from Smith Anderson Group Ltd. (SA). The company manufactures and sells foodservice paper bags in Eastern Europe at Huhtamaki's facility in Czeladz, Poland. Paper bags have become an increasingly important part of Huhtamaki’s product offering and the acquisition enables the company to invest in and further grow the business in Eastern Europe. The purchase price for additional shares and related manufacturing equipment is approximately EUR 2 million. The business has been reported as part of the Foodservice Europe-Asia-Oceania business segment since beginning of operations in 2018.

Metsä Board to purchase all shares in Hämeenkyrön Voima Oy

Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, purchases from Pohjolan Voima Oyj all the shares in Hämeenkyrön Voima Oy that it owns. Metsä Board has announced its plan to purchase the shares on 27 September 2021. In addition, Metsä Board will purchase from DL Power Oy, part of Leppäkoski Group, all the shares in Hämeenkyrön Voima Oy that it owns. Both transactions have been completed on 1 January 2022, after which Metsä Board will own 100% of Hämeenkyrön Voima Oy. The transaction will not have a significant impact on Metsä Board's key financial figures.

U.S. Postal Service Sustains Strong Service Performance for First-Class and Marketing Mail through Christmas

The United States Postal Service reported new service delivery performance metrics showing ongoing strong service for First-Class Mail and Marketing Mail, with a slight decline for Periodicals through the first 12 weeks of the fiscal first quarter. Since Thanksgiving, the Postal Service has accepted 11.1 billion pieces of mail and packages for delivery and anticipates it will deliver more than 12 billion pieces of mail and packages by New Year’s Day. First quarter-to-date service performance scores covering the period Oct. 1 through Dec. 24 included: *First-Class Mail: 89.8 percent of First-Class Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, an improvement of 1.24 percentage points from the fourth quarter. *Marketing Mail: 91.7 percent of Marketing Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, a slight decrease of .73 percent from the fourth quarter. *Periodicals: 81.2 percent of Periodicals delivered on time against the USPS service standard, a decrease of 1.57 percent from the fourth quarter. *Overall, the average number of days to deliver a mailpiece across the network was 2.7 days.

The ODP Corporation Announces Sale of Its CompuCom Subsidiary in Transaction Valued up to $305 Million

The ODP Corporation announced that it has sold its CompuCom Systems subsidiary to an affiliate of Variant Equity in a transaction valued up to $305 million. “This action represents an important step in continuing to align our business model and resources towards our core strategy,” said Anthony Scaglione, chief financial officer of The ODP Corporation. “By enhancing our core focus and leveraging our B2B assets and digital commerce platform, we are in an excellent position to maximize returns for our shareholders.”

Sonoco Recycling Acquires American Recycling of Western North Carolina

Sonoco Recycling, one of the largest sustainable global packaging companies, announced it has acquired American Recycling of Western North Carolina, a privately owned recovered paper recycler located in Asheville, N.C. American Recycling of Western North Carolina is a privately owned business that processes approximately 30,000 tons of recovered fiber annually at its well-capitalized Asheville material recovery facility. The business expects to generate approximately $9 million in sales in 2021 and it is strategically located approximately 65 miles from Sonoco’s Newport, TN, uncoated recycled paperboard mill. “This acquisition provides Sonoco’s mill operations with a stable, lower-cost supply of recovered fiber with the opportunity to grow volumes in the region,” said Palace Stepps, Division Vice President and General Manager of Sonoco Recycling.

Ox Industries Expands Footprint with South Carolina Acquisition

Ox Industries acquires York, SC-based York Industries Inc. York Industries is a leading producer of green protective packaging and paper tubes and cores, converting over 16,000 tons of uncoated recycled paperboard. Founded in 1989, York Industries is traded under Customer Paper Tube SE and Edgeboard SE brand names and is a regional supplier servicing customers in the Southeast US. “This acquisition further expands our geographic footprint of providing niche products that vertically integrate into our mill network. We look forward to working with the York team members and expanding the service and products for our customers.” CEO Kevin Hayward.

News Corp to Acquire Base Chemicals

News Corp announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the Base Chemicals business from S&P Global and IHS Markit. Base Chemicals will become part of Dow Jones’ Professional Information Business, alongside OPIS, the energy and renewables data and information business. The OPIS acquisition (along with related assets), also from S&P Global and IHS Markit, was announced in August. The addition of Base Chemicals and OPIS will further enhance Dow Jones’ information services business. Base Chemicals is known for its pricing data, insights, analysis and forecasting capabilities for the world’s most important base chemicals delivered through its leading Market Advisory and World Analysis services. Base Chemicals has a strong track record of growth, with a revenue base that is nearly 100% digital and recurring, and, similar to OPIS, has high margins with modest Capex requirements.

O-I Glass Sells Cristar Tableware Business as Part of Its Ongoing Portfolio Optimization Program

O-I Glass, Inc. announced that a subsidiary of the company has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Cristar TableTop S.A.S. (“Cristar”) to Vidros Colombia S.A.S, an affiliate of Nadir Figueiredo S.A., a glass tableware producer based in Brazil. The sale would generate gross proceeds of approximately $95 million and is expected to close during the first half of 2022, subject to customary regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. Cristar owns a dedicated tableware manufacturing plant in Buga, Colombia, that exports tableware to approximately 40 countries around the world and generated approximately $14.6 million of EBITDA(1) during the last twelve months ended September 30, 2021. “O-I continues to advance its strategy including the company’s portfolio optimization program which will enable future growth in the core business,” said Andres Lopez, O-I Glass CEO. “We are deploying proceeds from the sale of non-core assets to help fund our expansion plan, leveraging our exciting new MAGMA solution, that includes investment with attractive returns.”

USPS Maintains Strong Service Performance for First-Class and Marketing Mail During Busiest Week of the Year Despite Industry-Wide Delays

First quarter-to-date service performance scores covering the period Oct. 1 through Dec. 17 included: *First-Class Mail: 90.1 percent of First-Class Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, an improvement of 1.6 percentage points from the fourth quarter. *Marketing Mail: 91.8 percent of Marketing Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, consistent with performance from the fourth quarter. *Periodicals: 81.2 percent of Periodicals delivered on time against the USPS service standard, a slight decrease of 1.56 percent compared to performance from the fourth quarter. *Overall, the average number of days to deliver a mailpiece across the network was 2.7 days.

Plum Grove Announces $4M Expansion and New Facility (piworld.com)

December 27, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Printer News

Plum Grove Inc., an award-winning integrated marketing agency, announced its $4M expansion. The 2021 growth plan includes the relocation of its headquarters to Cary, Illinois, and investment in additional print capacity, including the purchase of a Komori Lithrone 6-Color Offset Printing Press. The expansion comes as the company celebrates its 40th year anniversary. Construction updates on the 43,000 square-foot facility is expected to be completed in October 2021. Located in McHenry County, the new address at 320 Cary Point Drive in Cary, Illinois, is approximately 30 miles from Chicago O’Hare International Airport and 45 miles from downtown Chicago. The building will house Plum Grove’s corporate offices, print production, mailing services, trade show displays, sign shop, pick-and-pack operations, digital marketing, and creative services under one roof with capacity for future growth.

Euro-Graph Publishes October 2021 Statistics of the European Graphic Papers Industry

Total European shipments of graphic papers in October 2021 were down 3.1% vs. October 2020 and were UP 4.5% year-to-date. Total European shipments of newsprint in October 2021 were down 6.4% vs. October 2020 and were down 3.7% year-to-date. Total European shipments of sc-magazine in October 2021 were down 12.5% vs. October 2020 and were UP 0.7% year-to-date. Total European shipments of coated mechanical reels in October 2021 were down 7.6% vs. October 2020 and were UP 2.4% year-to-date. Total European shipments of uncoated mechanical (improved & others) in October 2021 were down 77.2% vs. October 2020 and were UP 3.5% year-to-date. Total European shipments of coated woodfree in October 2021 were UP 13.2% vs. October 2020 and were UP 11.6% year-to-date. Total European shipments of uncoated woodfree in October 2021 were down 0.1% vs. October 2020 and were UP 11.2% year-to-date.

Canfor Pulp Announces Extended Production Outage at Northwood Pulp Mill

Canfor Pulp Products Inc. announced an extended outage on one production line at its Northwood Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (“NBSK”) Pulp mill located in Prince George, British Columbia (“BC”). The outage is to enable the rebuild of the lower furnace of its number one recovery boiler (“RB1”), in order to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the boiler. The Company currently estimates that the extended downtime will be approximately 85 to 100 days, with a reduction in production of NBSK pulp of 68,000 to 80,000 tonnes and an estimated capital cost of $30 million, as well as higher associated maintenance costs. Canfor Pulp will continue to operate the second production line at the Northwood Pulp mill over this period.

Dark Horse Media Acquired by the Embracer Group (publishersweekly.com)

Dark Horse Media, an independent comics publishing house and entertainment media company, has been acquired by the Embracer Group, a Swedish video game development company. Financial terms were not disclosed. Embracer is directed by cofounder and group CEO Lars Wingefors. The group’s purchase includes the acquisition of an 80% stake in Dark Horse from a “seller based in Hong Kong and China”—which appears to be Vanguard Visionary Associates, the Chinese media production company that took an investment stake in DH in 2018—and a remaining 20% share owned by Dark Horse founder, CEO, and publisher Mike Richardson and Dark Horse COO Neil Hankerson.

A sustainable celebration with PEFC – European cities choose certified Christmas trees

As Christmas is coming closer, magnificent Christmas trees are lighting up city centres and spreading seasonal splendour. Again this year, several European cities have chosen PEFC-certified firs and spruces. A PEFC-certified Christmas tree takes centre stage at Trafalgar Square in London. The 23 metre Norwegian Spruce tree is around 80 years old and was sourced from a PEFC-certified forest in Maridalen, Oslo. The tree is a gift from the people of Norway to the people of London to thank them for their support in World War II. It stands as a symbol of long-standing friendship and international cooperation between the two countries.

CJK Group Acquires Tweddle Group

December 23, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Printer News

CJK Group, Inc. announced today that it has acquired Tweddle Group, a pre-eminent provider of one-stop product support service to a broad array of global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Tweddle is widely recognized as a leader in content development, content management, creative services, and digital, print, and distribution solutions—all supported by state-of-the-art proprietary technologies. At the core of Tweddle Group is a mission to greatly enhance its clients’ end-user experiences, be it simplifying and streamlining user data and access, or applying technology to enhance processes or deliver innovative new solutions. Simply put, Tweddle Group is a catalyst to OEM success; delivering solutions that yield customer retention and growth. With over 500 employees worldwide, Tweddle Group’s Global Headquarters resides in Clinton Township, MI. The company also has offices in Europe and Asia. Tweddle Group Italy is located in Ravenna, with supporting offices in Torino, Modena, and Pozzilli, Tweddle Group Belgium is located in Schelle, Belgium, and Tweddle Group China is located in Shanghai. The company was founded in 1954.

ANDRITZ improves pulp mill performance at Mondi Frantschach, Austria

International technology group ANDRITZ has successfully improved performance of the pulp mill at Mondi Frantschach by implementing new advanced process controls. The target was to reduce the variability of Kappa, an indication of the lignin content in the pulp, in order to run the process a step closer to its maximum specification limits. This measure leads to higher production efficiency in the mill because less wood is needed to produce the same amount of pulp. As part of the optimization project, ANDRITZ Automation commissioned and fine-tuned three advanced process controls (APCs) in Mondi´s continuous cooking process. The controls implemented, including the chip level control for digester and impregnation vessel, the digester H-factor control (kinetic model for the rate of delignification in kraft pulping) and the blow-flow consistency control, were fully developed with Metris X – the distributed control system (DCS) developed by ANDRITZ Automation to simplify operational complexity, lower project risk, and improve plant performance. Metris X is a key application of the Metris UX Platform, a state-of-the-art digitalization platform that enables full functionality and support for industrial plants throughout their entire life cycle.

AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report for 12/23/21

December 23, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Misc

National Average Price for Regular Unleaded Current: $3.293; Month Ago: $3.403; Year Ago: $2.247. National Average Price for Diesel Current: $3.578; Month Ago: $3.642; Year Ago: $2.541.

Key Currency Exchange Rates for 12/23/21

December 23, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Misc

American Dollar to Canadian Dollar = 0.779541; American Dollar to Chinese Yuan = 0.156962; American Dollar to Euro = 1.131004; American Dollar to Japanese Yen = 0.008745; American Dollar to Mexican Peso = 0.048308.

Shuttered Wisconsin Rapids paper mill could be sold off following Verso acquisition (wpr.org)

News of the sale of the Ohio-based company Verso could have major implications on Wisconsin's paper and timber industries. But the Swedish company that's buying it hasn't clarified its plans for the shuttered Wisconsin Rapids mill. The Rapids mill employed 900 workers and served as the upper Midwest's largest buyer of Wisconsin forest products until the company took the mill idle in July 2020. The closure has had lasting effects on the city, and on industries that relied on the mill — especially logging. The packaging company BillerudKorsnäs AB announced Sunday it would acquire Verso Corp. In statements and in a press conference, executives for the company announced a $1 billion, nearly decade-long plan to convert and upgrade the mill in Escanaba, Michigan, into a producer of sustainably made paperboard. They also discussed plans to maintain operations at Verso's mill in Quinnesec, Michigan. Conspicuously absent from either company's statements, though, was significant discussion of Wisconsin Rapids.

ATA Truck Tonnage Index Increased 1.3% in November

December 22, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Misc

American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 1.3% in November after rising 0.4% in October. In November, the index equaled 114.5 (2015=100) compared with 113 in October. “November’s gain was the fourth straight, totaling 4.3%, and the tonnage level was the highest since April,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “The recent streak is very good, but it should be noted that from April through July the index fell a total of 4.6%, so we are not quite back to where we were last spring. "With that said, the index saw the largest gain from a year earlier since May. In November, strong factory output and housing starts helped push the index higher," he said.

Ennis Inc Reports Results for the Quarter Ended November 30, 2021

December 22, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Printer News

Highlights include: *Revenues were $103.0 million for the quarter compared to $92.4 million for the same quarter last year, an increase of $10.6 million or 11.5%. *Earnings per diluted share for the current quarter were $0.29 compared to $0.32 for the comparative quarter last year, a decrease of 9.4%. *Our gross profit margin for the quarter was 28.4% compared to 30.4% for the comparative quarter last year.

Question #1: WHAT ARE DIGITAL COOKIES? Digital cookies are text files with small pieces of data used to identify your computer when you visit a website. This data is labeled with an ID unique to you and your computer. Cookies let websites remember you, your website logins, shopping carts and preferences. They can also be used to serve you ads after you leave the website. Question #2: WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH COOKIES? Online privacy has been a widely debated topic in recent years. Overall, consumers want increased privacy and control over how their data is used. In response to these privacy demands, Google announced it would stop supporting the use of third-party cookies by 2023. Safari and Firefox have already blocked third-party cookies. Question #3: WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MARKETERS? In short, marketers will need to find new sources of data or new targeting methods.

Stora Enso is investing EUR 23 million into board production at the Varkaus site in Finland

Stora Enso invests EUR 23 million in the Varkaus containerboard site. The aim of the investment is to increase the flexibility of the product range available for customers and to grow the site’s total capacity by approximately 10%. This will also increase the use of recycled fiber in the production in addition to fresh wood fiber. The Varkaus site produces unbleached softwood pulp and high-quality brown and white top containerboard for corrugated board, i.e. kraftliners. In addition to unbleached softwood pulp, the paper mill currently uses about one third of the total board packaging recycled in Finland as its raw material. The investment will further increase the use of recycled fiber in the site.

ProAmpac acquires packaging supplier Prairie State Group (canplastics.com)

In a deal that expands its position in the food and pet food markets and beefs up its labeling capabilities, flexible packaging supplier ProAmpac has acquired Prairie State Group (PSG), an SQF-certified provider of flexible packaging and labeling services based in Franklin Park, Ill. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. PSG produces a range of SQF-certified and environmentally-friendly flexible packaging and label solutions, including wrappers, pouches, compostable film, roll stock, and pressure-sensitive labels.

Graphic Packaging Holding Company Named to Newsweek’s List of America’s Most Responsible Companies for Second Year in a Row

Graphic Packaging Holding Company has been named to Newsweek's 2022 list of America's Most Responsible Companies for a second year in a row. The recognition is based on a detailed analysis of Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) factors. "Being recognized for a second year by Newsweek for corporate responsibility as well as being included on Forbes' inaugural list of Top Female-Friendly Companies is a true honor," said Michael Doss, President and Chief Executive Officer. "At Graphic Packaging, we are committed to delivering sustainable fiber-based consumer packaging solutions through a high-performance company culture that embraces diversity. We are committed to positive change and advancement of our environmental, social and governance initiatives. The recognitions demonstrate the progress we have made and will continue to drive to benefit all stakeholders."

ANDRITZ to supply third OCC line to Nine Dragons, China

International technology group ANDRITZ has received a repeat order – now the third order within the past 12 months – from Nine Dragons Paper Industries to supply a complete OCC line to China. Start-up is scheduled for the third quarter of 2023. The highly energy-saving stock preparation system will have a design capacity of 2,000 bdmt/d and will process 100% LOCC (Local Old Corrugated Container) for the production of high-quality packaging paper.

Transcendia Increasing Barrier Film Capabilities

Transcendia is excited to announce it is breaking ground on a 52,000 square foot manufacturing expansion at its Hebron, OH location as part of its ongoing commitment to investing in barrier film technologies. The new building will be equipped with additional multilayer blown and cast film lines, specialty converting equipment and a new testing lab dedicated to supporting new barrier applications in the food, pharmaceutical and industrial film markets. Upon completion, the Hebron, OH facility, with its ISO 9001:2015 certified quality systems, SQF certification and class 7 clean room capabilities, will have a total footprint of 84,000 square feet. The new building will complement existing barrier extrusion capabilities, including Transcendia’s most recent seven-layer blown film asset capable of producing films up to 78” wide with thicknesses between 1.0 – 10.0 mil. In addition to multiple asset investments, Transcendia will be adding to its application and process engineering team to provide additional technology resources for customers’ new application development. To support the expansion and 24/7 operation, Transcendia will hire approximately 36 new associates including machine operators, material handlers, maintenance technicians and supervisors.

Verso Corporation to be Acquired by BillerudKorsnäs AB for $27 Per Share in Cash, or Approximately $825 Million

Verso Corporation announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement under which BillerudKorsnäs AB will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Verso for a purchase price of $27 per share in cash, or approximately $825 million1. Verso's Board of Directors, acting upon the recommendation of a special committee of Verso's Board, has unanimously approved and resolved to recommend approval of the merger by Verso's shareholders. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022. The acquisition of Verso is fully in line with BillerudKorsnäs' strategy to drive profitable growth in paperboard, and the ambition to expand into North America. BillerudKorsnäs aims to build one of the most cost-efficient and sustainable paperboard platforms in North America by converting several of Verso's assets into paperboard machines while maintaining Verso's position as a quality and cost leader in specialty and coated freesheet paper.

BillerudKorsnäs to acquire Verso to ignite growth in North America

*BillerudKorsnäs has entered into an agreement to acquire Verso for a purchase price of approximately USD 825 million in cash, corresponding to USD 27.00 per share. *Verso is a leading producer of coated papers in North America with reported net sales for the last twelve months ended 30 September 2021 of USD 1 264 million and adjusted EBITDA of USD 158 million. *The purchase price corresponds to an enterprise value / adjusted EBITDA multiple of approximately 6x for the last twelve months ended 30 September 2021. The acquisition will immediately be accretive to earnings per share and create significant shareholder value over time with a more profitable product mix. *BillerudKorsnäs will build one of the most cost-efficient and sustainable paperboard platforms in North America by converting some of Verso’s assets into paperboard machines with an estimated capex of up to SEK 9 billion. *The acquisition and transformation will be financed through a combination of a rights issue of up to SEK 3.5 billion, additional debt and operating cash flow. *The acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022, subject to the approval of Verso’s shareholders as well as the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.

Huhtamaki takes major step towards its target of using 100% renewable electricity and a carbon neutral production by 2030

Sustainability lies at the center of Huhtamaki’s 2030 Strategy and the Company is making a leap forward towards delivering on its ambitions by closing two 10-year virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs) with BayWa r.e., a global renewable energy developer. The 200 GWh agreements cover approximately 80% of Huhtamaki’s current electricity usage in Europe, where the key global provider of sustainable packaging solutions has 18 manufacturing sites in 10 countries. ”We are committed to our ambitious 2030 strategy to become the first choice in sustainable packaging solutions. This means developing a circular approach for our operations and products. We are fully committed to supporting the transition to a zero-carbon economy and have a climate strategy with clear targets and action plans to address all our emissions. Renewable electricity plays a major role in delivering on our ambitions and the agreement we have just signed with BayWa r.e. demonstrates that it is possible to achieve significant progress in a short time,” says Charles Héaulmé, President and CEO of Huhtamaki.

Sonoco Agrees to Acquire Ball Metalpack

Sonoco announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Ball Metalpack, a leading manufacturer of sustainable metal packaging for food and household products and the largest aerosol producer in North America, for $1.35 billion in cash before taking into consideration tax benefits with an estimated net present value of approximately $180 million. Ball Metalpack is a joint venture owned by Platinum Equity (51 percent) and Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) (49 percent). Previously part of Ball Corporation, Ball Metalpack, headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, was formed in 2018 and has more than 100 years of experience in producing steel tinplate food and aerosol cans, as well as closures and packaging components from eight operations in Canton and Columbus, Ohio; Milwaukee and Deforest, Wisconsin; Chestnut Hill, Tennessee; Horsham, Pennsylvania; and Oakdale, California. Ball Metalpack is projected to generate approximately $850 million in revenue and $111 million of adjusted EBITDA in 2021.

Felix Schoeller Group price increases effective February 1st, 2022

Due to continued sharp rise in raw material costs and inflationary indirect costs that can no longer be offset by efficiency gains, the Felix Schoeller Group will adjust prices for its specialty papers with effect from February 1st, 2022. Costs for PE and pigments used in color receiver layers continue to rise sharply. To compensate for these increases and in addition for the inflationary indirect costs the Felix Schoeller Group will implement price increases of up to 7.5% in all its product segments effective for shipments from February 1st, 2022.

Quad Completes Sale of Former Oklahoma City and Fernley Manufacturing Facilities

December 17, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Printer News

Quad/Graphics, Inc. announced it has completed the sale of its former Oklahoma City, OK, and Fernley, NV, manufacturing facilities to affiliates of Industrial Realty Group, LLC, one of the country’s largest owners of commercial and industrial properties, for combined net proceeds of $58.6 million. Quad will use proceeds from the sale to reduce debt and continue accelerating its competitive position as a marketing solutions partner.

Canfor Increasing Production Capacity and Diversifying with Acquisition of Millar Western Assets

Canfor Corporation is announcing that it has entered into an agreement with Millar Western Forest Products Ltd. to acquire the company’s solid wood operations and associated tenure for $420 million, including $56 million in working capital. The purchase price represents a multiple of 3 times 2020 and 2021 average EBITDA. Canfor expects to generate at least $25 million in annual synergies principally related to alignment with the Company’s marketing programs and operational enhancements. Millar Western’s solid wood operations, located in Alberta, Canada, will add 630 million board feet of production capacity and have access to a globally competitive, high-quality timber supply. The assets consist of three well-capitalized operations including two sawmill complexes in Whitecourt and Fox Creek and the high-value, specialty Spruceland Millworks facility in Acheson that is dedicated to serving strategic markets and generates higher, more stable returns.

FedEx Corp. Reports Higher Second Quarter Operating Income

“FedEx operating income grew in our second quarter, driven by strong revenue growth and effective management of our cost and expected labor availability challenges,” said Michael C. Lenz, FedEx Corp. executive vice president and chief financial officer. “While adjusted earnings per share was unchanged year over year, this year’s effective tax rate was significantly higher, as last year’s earnings included a $0.71 per share tax benefit.” Second quarter operating income improved due to higher revenue per shipment at all transportation segments, despite the negative effect of labor market challenges that have contributed to global supply chain disruptions. The challenging labor market affected the availability and cost of labor resulting in network inefficiencies, higher purchased transportation costs, and higher wage rates, which increased costs by an estimated $470 million year over year, primarily at FedEx Ground. The quarter’s results also benefited from continued strategic management actions to improve revenue quality and favorable net fuel.

Bloomsbury acquires ABC-CLIO; accelerates academic publishing in North America and further strengthens Bloomsbury Digital Resources division

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc announces that it has completed the purchase of the members’ interests of ABC-CLIO LLC. The consideration is $22.9 million (£17.3 million), of which $22.3 million (£16.8 million) has been satisfied in cash on completion and up to $0.6 million (£0.5 million) will be satisfied in cash post completion. ABC-CLIO is an established academic publisher of reference, nonfiction, online curriculum and professional development materials in both print and digital formats for schools, academic libraries and public libraries, primarily in the USA. Founded in 1955, ABC-CLIO is based in Santa Barbara, California. ABC-CLIO has four imprints and 32 databases that provide curriculum-aligned content and lesson plans, professional development support and student activities to US schools and academic institutions. It has more than 23,000 titles in its portfolio.

Service Performance Holds Across All Mail Categories As Postal Network Continues To Operate Smoothly With Increased Mail and Package Volume

First quarter-to-date service performance scores covering the period Oct. 1 through Dec. 10 included: *First-Class Mail: 90.6 percent of First-Class Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, an improvement of 2.1 percentage points from the fourth quarter. *Marketing Mail: 92.1 percent of Marketing Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, consistent with performance from the fourth quarter. *Periodicals: 82.0 percent of Periodicals delivered on time against the USPS service standard, a slight decrease of .74 percent compared to performance from the fourth quarter. Overall, average days to deliver a mailpiece across the network was 2.7 days.

Adobe Reports Record Q4 and Fiscal 2021 Revenue

Fourth Quarter Fiscal Year 2021 Financial Highlights *Adobe achieved record revenue of $4.11 billion in its fourth quarter of fiscal year 2021, which represents 20 percent year-over-year growth. Diluted earnings per share was $2.57 on a GAAP basis and $3.20 on a non-GAAP basis. *Digital Media segment revenue was $3.01 billion, which represents 21 percent year-over-year growth. Creative revenue grew to $2.48 billion, representing 19 percent year-over-year growth. Document Cloud revenue was $532 million, representing 29 percent year-over-year growth. *Digital Media Annualized Recurring Revenue (“ARR”) increased $571 million quarter over quarter to $12.24 billion exiting the quarter, including the addition of enterprise ARR of Frame.io, which closed on October 7, 2021. Creative ARR grew to $10.30 billion. Total enterprise ARR for Frame.io, including business closed by Adobe, exiting the quarter was approximately $29 million. Document Cloud ARR grew to $1.93 billion. *Digital Experience segment revenue was $1.01 billion, representing 23 percent year-over-year growth. Digital Experience subscription revenue was $886 million, representing 27 percent year-over-year growth. *GAAP operating income in the fourth quarter was $1.50 billion.

Berry Recognized as a Climate Change Leader for its Sustainability Initiatives

Berry Global Group, Inc. is proud to announce the company received an A- rating for its action on climate change from CDP, the global not-for-profit charity that runs a leading environmental disclosure platform. The new rating places Berry in the top ‘Leadership’ band and underlines meaningful actions the company is taking to meet its sustainability goals. Only 12% of companies in the Plastic Product Manufacturing group, of which Berry is part, have reached leadership level. Berry’s A- rating is also higher than both the North America and global averages across the 13,000+ companies who participated in the CDP rating process as part of their commitment to environmental transparency. “Our CDP A- rating confirms Berry is on a successful pathway to support the transition to a net-zero economy while helping our customers meet their ambitious sustainability goals,” commented Tom Salmon, Chairman and CEO of Berry Global. “This is another significant milestone in our continuing drive to create innovative, sustainable packaging and engineered products that make life better for people and the planet.”

Toray Plastics (America), Inc., Appoints Chris Nothnagle to the Position of Senior Director, New Business Development

Toray Plastics (America), Inc., announces that Chris Nothnagle will be the company’s Senior Director of New Business Development, effective January 4, 2022. Nothnagle will replace Ken Chang, who is retiring after 25 years of service to the company. He will be responsible for managing the company’s R&D team and continue to oversee Toray’s Corporate Marketing Group. Nothnagle joined Toray in 2015 and held a variety of positions prior to being named the Senior Director of Sales and Marketing of the Lumirror® Division in 2020. Prior to joining Toray he worked at ExxonMobil for 28 years. Chang joined Toray in 1996 as a Senior Development Engineer for the Torayfan® Division and rose through the ranks, having held a variety of positions in R&D. Chang will maintain his relationship with Toray and consult on strategic projects. “Chris Nothnagle is the ideal candidate to help the company chart its course in new business development and guide our R&D team,” says Mike Brandmeier, President and CEO, Toray Plastics (America), Inc. “Chris is a very talented individual who possesses a vast knowledge of our products and the global films industry that has been instrumental in helping us grow our core films business since he joined Toray. I am confident he will excel in his new role leading our combined R&D and Corporate Marketing efforts for the future.”

New Sherbrooke Plant Doubles its Tissue Paper Capacity

KP Tissue Inc. and Kruger Products L.P. announced KPLP’s plan to add to the capacity of its Sherbrooke expansion project by constructing a double width Light Dry Crepe (LDC) tissue machine with a capacity of at least 60,000 MT instead of the previously announced 30,000 MT LDC tissue machine. This additional capacity will allow us to accelerate the growth of our business and continue to provide our customers across North America with high quality tissue products like Cashmere®, SpongeTowels®, Scotties® and Purex® in Canada and White Cloud® in the U.S., said Dino Bianco, CEO with KPLP.

Green Bay, Wisconsin, Mill Selected For Georgia-Pacific Investment To Grow Tissue And Towel Business

Georgia-Pacific announced significant investments, which total more than $500 million, at its Green Bay, Wisconsin, Broadway mill. The investments will greatly enhance the company's retail consumer tissue and towel business. Investments to the Green Bay mill include building a new paper machine using through-air-dried (TAD) technology, as well as adding associated converting equipment and infrastructure. Engineering and related work is beginning immediately, with startup of the new machine scheduled for the first half of 2024. Approximately 150 jobs will be created to operate the new papermaking complex, in addition to the mill's 850 current employees. The project will have as many as 500 construction and contract-related workers onsite at the mill, fluctuating with project timeline.

Asahi to Become First Japanese User of WestRock CanCollar® Eco Packaging

Asahi Breweries, Ltd., one of the largest Japanese beer companies headquartered in Tokyo, announced that it will be the first user1 of CanCollar® Eco Plus technology in the Japanese market as it rolls out a market test with its Asahi Super Dry brands in October 2021. Made from WestRock’s PEFC-certified CarrierKote® paperboard, CanCollar® Eco Plus packaging is recyclable and comes from sustainably managed forests. The innovative can clip design uses no glue and significantly less material than a fully enclosed box. According to Asahi, using this packaging enables the paper surface to be reduced by 77 percent for 6-can 350 ml packs and 81 percent for 6-can 500 ml packs, compared to the 6-can pack materials used in the past. Furthermore, the weight of paper used can be reduced by 65 percent for 6-can 350 ml packs and 73 percent for 6-can 500 ml packs.

AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report for Friday, 12/17/21

December 17, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Misc

National Average Price for Regular Unleaded Current: $3.312; Month Ago: $3.413; Year Ago: $2.203. National Average Price for Diesel Current: $3.590; Month Ago: $3.644; Year Ago: $2.498.

Key Currency Exchange Rates for Friday, 12/17/21

December 17, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Misc

American Dollar to Canadian Dollar = 0.779917; American Dollar to Chinese Yuan = 0.156866; American Dollar to Euro = 1.132344; American Dollar to Japanese Yen = 0.008827; American Dollar to Mexican Peso = 0.048175.

Two Sides Member Spotlight

When one thinks of leaders in sustainability, it’s unlikely thoughts would turn to a 200-year-old company. But a company’s age doesn’t always mean “old-school.” Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc., the oldest continuously operating paper mill in the United States, is a gold standard example of a company that has built sustainability into the DNA of its business. With a passion for the environment and ingenuity, Monadnock has developed a portfolio of award-winning and sustainably advantaged fine printing, packaging and technical papers. All Monadnock printing and packaging papers are FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) certified (FSC C018866) and manufactured using 100% renewable, carbon neutral Green-e certified wind-powered electricity, all under a third-party certified ISO 14001 Environmental Management System. “We’re proud that our commitment to sustainability has yielded appreciable, measurable and verified environmental impact reductions,” says Monadnock Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard G. Verney. “Monadnock’s ISO 14001 certification demonstrates our holistic approach to educate the marketplace and supply the world’s leading brands with sustainable materials.”

Metsä Board sells Hangö Stevedoring to Euroports

Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, and Euroports have signed an agreement on 16 December 2021, according to which Metsä Board Corporation will sell the entire share capital of its fully owned subsidiary Oy Hangö Stevedoring Ab to Euroports Finland Oy. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022. The parties have mutually agreed that the transaction price will not be disclosed. The gain on sale will be reported as an item affecting comparability and will not have a material impact on Metsä Board's key financials. Hangö Stevedoring is a port operator in the Port of Hanko and its business is not part of Metsä Board's core business. The company has approximately 180 employees and its sales in 2020 were approximately EUR 20 million.

New survey signals recovery in printing paper, with quality and carbon neutrality becoming more important

During 2020 and early 2021, the pandemic-driven shift to stay-at-home work, where people print less, brought a dip in demand for office paper. Now with workers heading back to the office, a new survey commissioned by Stora Enso indicates an expected recovery for office printing paper. “This is good news for the industry,” says Stora Enso’s Jonathan Bakewell, VP, Head of Segment Office and Book Papers, “but we also set out to ask some broader questions about printing behaviour and preferences and what going back to the office would really look like for people.” The survey, which was rolled out to 3,400 people across Sweden, UK, France, Netherlands, and Germany, showed that a return to the office is underway now, with 35% of respondents saying they have already returned and a further 51% expecting to return soon. But they will not be going back to the five-day week. The preferred mix (33%) was for three days at the office and two days at home, while 14% aren’t planning to return to the office at all.

Wiley Acquires eJournalPress

Global research and education leader Wiley today announced the asset purchase of eJournalPress (EJP), a leading provider of software and support services for scholarly publishing. With this investment, Wiley plans to drive the evolution of the technology and platforms that underpin research publishing and advance the future of research communication. EJP’s online manuscript submission, peer review, and journal production tracking systems deliver a comprehensive service for authors, editors and publishers to create, review and manage scholarly content as it moves through peer-review and gets published online. “Getting trusted, peer-reviewed research into the world requires both smart people and sophisticated technology,” said Jay Flynn, Wiley Executive Vice President and General Manager, Research. “By investing in the future of EJP, we will drive innovation in journal workflow and peer review management to deliver best-in-class solutions for our clients and partners.”

HH Global Win at the 2021 Performance Marketing Awards

HH Global are delighted to have been presented with the inaugural Lead Generation Award at the Performance Marketing World Awards 2021 last week. This award celebrates our incredible collaborative campaign with Anglian Home Improvements, to generate relevant leads using contextual ad targeting. The UK Performance Marketing World Awards have been recently established to showcase best-in-business examples of performance marketing practices, which have been successful in growing new audiences and markets. We were therefore thrilled to have been shortlisted alongside 60 other impressive companies in this rapidly-growing industry for such a prestigious award.

Resolute Announces Indefinite Idling of Pulp and Paper Operations at Calhoun, TN Mill

Resolute Forest Products Inc. announced the indefinite idling of pulp and paper operations at its Calhoun (Tennessee) mill. Tissue manufacturing and converting will continue at the site and the adjacent distribution center will remain in full operation. The company anticipates that the decision will directly affect 350 hourly and salaried positions at the Calhoun mill. The facility, which employs a total of 545 people, has an annual capacity of 147,000 metric tons of pulp and 149,000 metric tons of paper as well as 60,000 metric tons of premium tissue. "We have taken the very difficult decision to indefinitely idle pulp and paper operations at Calhoun knowing how hard this is for the affected employees and their families," said Remi G. Lalonde, president and chief executive officer. "Success has proved elusive at Calhoun's pulp and paper operations, despite the best efforts of our dedicated employees and significant investments of time, energy and resources over the last few years." The company continues to accumulate significant financial losses at the mill, even with the current strong market conditions for both the pulp and uncoated freesheet paper it manufactures.

Nice-Pak, American Forests and Project Learning Tree Join Forces in Reforestation and Youth Education Efforts

Nice-Pak brings broad-based reach to the effort, as the company's products touch consumers worldwide billions of times per year, and will seek to engage suppliers, customers, communities, and consumers with knowledge and the opportunity to participate in this important initiative. As exclusive wet wipe sponsors of Project Learning Tree and partners of American Forests, Nice-Pak and the Nice 'N CLEAN® brand are making an investment in tree planting programs and the development and implementation of youth environmental educational programs that will include: •Supporting reforestation efforts to help address climate change and social inequities faced by people in under-resourced communities: Together with American Forests, Nice-Pak aims to foster the planting of 150,000 trees across the U.S. over three years. This effort will have the potential to capture 92,000 metric tons of carbon over their lifespan. •Supporting youth environmental education using trees and forests as windows on the world: Project Learning Tree will develop and implement a digital curriculum specifically around the connection between healthy forests and human health and make it available to their K-12 school network beginning in Spring 2022, reaching over 25,000 students over the next three years. •Making a global commitment: Through Nice-Pak International colleagues in Europe, Nice-Pak will also make a commitment to the 1t.org campaign, a worldwide movement to conserve, restore and grow one trillion healthy trees worldwide by 2030.

Canfor Calls on BC Government to Rethink Old Growth Deferral Process

Canfor Corporation is issuing an open letter from Don Kayne, President and CEO, calling for an approach to the management of British Columbia’s old growth forests that is based on the facts of sound science and Indigenous traditional knowledge and a collaborative process that includes broad representation. “We can choose a path that brings First Nations, labour leaders, forestry professionals and communities together to develop a sustainable old growth management plan that protects our forests and ensures sustainable employment for our communities. We are asking the Government of British Columbia to rethink the old growth deferral process,” said Don Kayne, President and CEO, Canfor. “Together, we can build on the 75% of old growth forests that are already protected or outside harvesting areas.”

Iceland freezes use of unnecessary plastic with launch of paper packaging from Mondi

Mondi has teamed up with the UK’s number 1 frozen food retailer to provide renewable, recyclable packaging in a move that further validates Mondi’s approach of using “paper where possible, plastic when useful”. Iceland is replacing its previous packaging with Mondi’s versatile functional barrier paper across a number of its ranges. The first newly packaged product to hit the shelves earlier this month was the retailer’s frozen chicken dippers, which reduces the amount of plastic used per year by 80%. The functional barrier paper is made from renewable resources with Mondi managing the paper production and coating in-house, providing a fully integrated solution. It is easy for consumers to recycle the paper in existing waste streams and as paper is the most widely recycled material in the world - 74% of paper and 83% of paper-based packaging in Europe are recycled – the solution ensures that the paper can be recycled at the end of its life, contributing to a circular economy.

International Paper to Build State-of-the-Art Corrugated Packaging Plant in Atglen, Pennsylvania to Meet Growing Customer Demand in the Region

International Paper announced it will build a state-of-the-art corrugated packaging plant in Atglen, Pennsylvania. The facility will employ approximately 150 team members. "We are excited to expand our footprint and continue serving our customers with the highest level of safety, quality, operational excellence and customer service," said Greg Wanta, senior vice president, North American Container. The facility will allow International Paper to expand its Industrial Packaging footprint in the northeastern United States. Construction is set to begin in the first quarter of 2022 and the company expects the plant to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2023.

RRD Aligns Communications Solution for Nonprofit Sector, Maximizing Donor Acquisition and Lifetime Value

December 15, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Printer News

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company announced the launch of an omnichannel offering designed to meet the nonprofit industry’s need for elevated communications agility that maximizes the value of each touchpoint along the donor-member journey. To support this audience-driven expectation, RRD has mobilized to offer a specialized set of solutions designed to perform as an extension of marketing and business support teams. Initiated by a strategic discovery process, the formation of this solution includes an alignment of the following services: *Creative and content development fueled by Alchemy by RRD℠, a one-stop global creative studio *Full-service digital marketing support led by RRD’s platform-agnostic expertise and long-standing email service provider partnerships *Commercial print and direct mail resources to effectively test and execute highly targeted, event-triggered campaigns

RRD Terminates Merger Agreement with Atlas

December 15, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Printer News

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by affiliates of Chatham Asset Management, LLC, a leading private investment firm, in an all-cash transaction with a total enterprise value of approximately $2.3 billion and total equity value of approximately $897 million. RRD also announced that it has terminated its previously announced merger agreement with affiliates of Atlas Holdings LLC, dated November 3, 2021, pursuant to which affiliates of Atlas had agreed to acquire RRD for $10.35 per share in cash. The termination of the Amended Atlas Merger Agreement follows the decision by Atlas to waive its contractual opportunity through December 16, 2021 to negotiate an amendment of the Amended Atlas Merger Agreement such that the transaction contemplated by the Chatham Merger Agreement would no longer constitute a “Superior Proposal” as defined in the Amended Atlas Merger Agreement.

Vivendi to Pursue Total Ownership of Lagardère (publishersweekly.com)

French conglomerate Vivendi confirmed it is pushing ahead with its deal to purchase the 17.9% stake in Lagardère held by investor Amber Capital for about $720.6 million. Vivendi, which also owns book publisher Editis, already holds a 26.7% stake in Lagardère and the resulting transaction will give Vivendi 45.1% of its rival's shares. Under French regulations, once a company's stake in another company exceeds the 30% level, it must make a tender offer for all remaining shares and Vivendi confirmed it will be making an offer to buy remaining shares at a price of €24.10 per share.

Transitioning From Boxes to Mailers With Pregis EverTec™

To keep up with increasing e-commerce demand during peak season, shippers are looking to switch from boxes to mailers to save on costs. *Shippers and 3PLs are searching for new ways to cut costs and reduce their environmental impact. *Record high e-commerce demand puts even more strain on these efforts, emphasizing efficiency in a challenging supply environment. *Mailers, including the Pregis sustainable, curbside recyclable EverTec mailer, can replace unnecessary boxes for shippers, saving on costs and creating better processes in shipping and fulfillment. *Picking the right kinds of products to shift from traditional boxes to mailers is the first step to rightsizing a product line for maximum efficiency. Part of the joy of shopping online is the experience of coming home to boxes and packages on your front porch or in the lobby of your apartment building. More and more, these packages arrive to consumers in the form of mailers instead of bulky boxes. For certain items, switching from boxes to mailers not only saves money — it also supports sustainability.

The Paperworkers’ Union issues a strike announcement for several UPM businesses in Finland

The Finnish Paperworkers’ Union has issued a strike announcement to UPM, declaring a strike to all work under the expiring paper industry collective agreement at UPM. The strike would start at the mills on Saturday 1 January 2022 at 6.00 EET except at the Lappeenranta biorefinery, where the strike would start on 1 January 2022 at 7.00 EET. The strike would end on 22 January 2022, at 6:00 EET, unless an agreement for a new collective agreement is reached before then. Should the strike materialise, UPM strives to meet customer demand through deliveries from its mills outside Finland to the extent possible. UPM will not disclose the financial impact of the possible strike at this point.

PRH Fires Back at the DoJ’s Effort to Stop Its S&S Purchase (publishersweekly.com)

Penguin Random House’s attorneys responded today to the Department of Justice’s efforts to block its acquisition of Simon & Schuster, attacking the government’s main complaint, that the purchase would “likely result in substantial harm to authors of anticipated top-selling books and ultimately, consumers.” In filing its suit to block the deal November 2, the DOJ said that a combined PRH-S&S, along with HarperCollins, “would collectively control more than two-thirds of this market, leaving hundreds of authors with fewer alternatives and less leverage.” PRH attacks this charge on several levels and begins by calling the theory of a “top-selling” category “fiction,” noting that the government doesn’t even identify what size of an advance it is referring to. “The publishing industry does not divide the market for book rights into distinct categories based on the author’s compensation for the book,” PRH’s lawyers said.” “The royalty advance for a proposed book is driven mainly by the reader demand a particular editor anticipates for that particular book.”

Sonoco ThermoSafe and Asiana Cargo Sign Global Master Lease Agreement

Sonoco ThermoSafe and Asiana Airlines Inc., a South Korean airline headquartered in Seoul, are pleased to announce a global partnership agreement for leasing the new Pegasus ULD® temperature-controlled bulk shipping container. The agreement enables pharmaceutical freight forwarders access to Pegasus ULD® containers directly from Asiana Airlines. Sonoco ThermoSafe’s Pegasus ULD® is the world’s first FAA and EASA-approved passive bulk temperature-controlled ULD container for pharmaceutical use, which enables it to speed through international air freight handling and customs processes at the lowest possible cost. With a focus on sustainability, the Pegasus is engineered with composite materials, offering a lighter solution that is also substantially more damage-resistant than traditional metal containers. Additionally, the Pegasus ULD® contains a fully integrated, FAA-approved telemetry system providing real-time, cloud-based data on payload and ambient temperature and key environmental factors, precisely synchronized with GPS location.

Metsä Group donates a total of EUR 500,000 to the universities of Helsinki and Oulu

Metsä Group has donated EUR 250,000 each to the University of Helsinki and the University of Oulu. These donations will be allocated to science, agriculture and forestry at the University of Helsinki and to technology at the University of Oulu. Metsä Group wants to invest in developing teaching and research in these fields. “Metsä Group produces recyclable products from northern wood for the daily needs of people around the world. Sustainability, competitive production and the top expertise of our employees lie at the core of our operations. We want to develop forestry and the forest industry, and that requires top quality higher education and research,” says Ilkka Hämälä, President and CEO of Metsä Group.

Paper Excellence donates $50,000 to the Pacific Salmon Foundation

Paper Excellence announced the donation of $50,000 to the Pacific Salmon Foundation to support regeneration and recovery of wild Pacific salmon. These funds will support the Pacific Salmon Foundation’s Community Salmon Program which supports volunteer and community–driven organizations that undertake salmon conservation and restoration projects. “With half of Pacific salmon populations in a serious state of decline, we welcome the generous donation from Paper Excellence, which will advance vital community-based salmon enhancement and conservation activities,” said Michael Meneer, President & CEO, Pacific Salmon Foundation. “The Community Salmon Program supports more than 300 volunteer-led programs in B.C. with dedicated individuals committed to improving salmon habitat and survival.”

Changes in Ahlstrom-Munksjö’s Executive Management Team

Mark Ushpol has been appointed Executive Vice President of the Food Packaging & Technical Solutions business area and a member of the Group Executive Management team as of January 1, 2022. Mark has more than twenty years of experience in the paper and packaging industry and was most recently managing director for DS Smith North America Packaging. Prior to this, he held several management positions at companies such as Mondi and Domtar in the US., Europe and South Africa, as well as served as association representative in several industry organizations. “I am truly inspired by the work Ahlstrom-Munksjö does in the area of specialty papers and packaging, and I am very much looking forward to working with this talented team to bring sustainable fiber-based solutions to the world,” commented Mark Ushpol. Robyn Buss, currently Executive Vice President of the Food Packaging & Technical Solutions business area and member of the Group Executive Management Team, has announced her retirement effective at the end of 2021. Robyn Buss has spent more than 30 years in the specialty paper industry and has served several Wisconsin-based paper plants during her career. Robyn Buss joined Ahlstrom-Munksjö with the acquisition of Expera Specialty Solutions at the end of 2018.

Les Crudettes, Mondi and IMA scoop French awards for new paper packaging

Mondi; IMA Ilapak and Les Crudettes have won three prizes at the prestigious French packaging award and the Trophées de l’innovation LSA for a new paper packaging. Mondi developed a recyclable functional barrier paper, which is converted on VFFS machines of IMA Ilapak for a selection of Les Crudettes’ pre-washed, ready to eat salads. Their solution won the environment and production categories at the prestigious French packaging awards as well as the Trophées de l’innovation LSA.

Polystyrene box replaced – benefiting both customers and the climate

For fish wholesalers Bröderna Hanssons, the sea is their livelihood. People have been enjoying their fish and shellfish since the company began in 1880. To ensure that also future generations can enjoy their seafood, Bröderna Hanssons focus not only on the fish, but also sustainability. One step in taking better care of the sea was to replace the polystyrene box with a fiber-based fish box made of corrugated board. Bröderna Hanssons are leaders in the fishing industry, and are passionate about producing, refining and selling fresh fish and shellfish products to their customers. The majority of the company’s sales go to grocery companies such as ICA, Coop and Axfood, but customers also include restaurants, schools and large-scale kitchens. Bröderna Hanssons care about the climate, and are constantly looking for more eco-friendly means of production and distribution. “We want to take responsibility for fish and shellfish production, in order to preserve the ecosystem and make sure that future generations can enjoy the fruits of the sea too. And we welcome our customers and partners to join us in this endeavour!” says Daniel Thunberg, Head of Marketing at Bröderna Hanssons.

RRD Board Unanimously Determines that Chatham’s Unsolicited Proposal to Acquire RRD for $10.85 Per Share in Cash Constitutes a “Superior Proposal”

December 13, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Printer News

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company announced today that its Board of Directors unanimously determined that an unsolicited proposal from Chatham Asset Management, LLC to acquire all of the common stock of the Company not already owned by Chatham and its affiliates for $10.85 per share in cash constitutes a “Superior Proposal” as defined in the Company’s previously announced definitive merger agreement with affiliates of Atlas Holdings LLC, dated as of November 3, 2021, subject to the condition that Chatham agree to extend the Revised Chatham Proposal until 9:05 a.m. CST on Friday, December 17, 2021. If Chatham refuses to agree to the Timing Condition, the Board will deem the Revised Chatham Proposal as withdrawn and incapable of being accepted by the Company. Under the terms of the Amended Agreement, affiliates of Atlas have agreed to acquire the Company for $10.35 per share in cash. “Today’s announcement is a testament to the robust process we have in place to maximize value for all stockholders,” said John C. Pope, Chairman of the Board. “Our Board and management team remain committed to acting in the best interests of RRD and all its stockholders, and will continue to take actions to achieve this objective.”

UPM Plywood aims to earnings growth by investing in the competitiveness of its Joensuu plywood mill

UPM is investing EUR 10 million in the development of UPM Plywood's plywood mill in Joensuu. The investment includes new production lines, new workspaces and 720 square meters of completely new production space. UPM's investment strengthens the mill's competitiveness by improving the mill's security of supply and ensuring the high quality of demanding products. UPM Joensuu manufactures plywood and plywood components for demanding industrial applications, such as the floors of heavy-duty trailers and the insulation elements of LNG tankers carrying liquefied natural gas. In industrial applications, the consistent and high quality of the products as well as the reliability and punctuality of deliveries are emphasized. Defective or untimely components cause difficulties in the production of customer companies.

Stora Enso appoints Johanna Hagelberg as Head of Biomaterials division

Stora Enso has appointed Johanna Hagelberg Executive Vice President, Biomaterials division. She will continue as a member of the Group Leadership Team (GLT). Johanna Hagelberg joined Stora Enso in 2013 and has been a member of the GLT since 2014 as Head of Sourcing and Logistics. Prior to joining Stora Enso, she held leadership positions at companies including General Motors, NCC and Vattenfall. Johanna holds two M.Sc. degrees in: Management of Manufacturing Systems and Industrial Engineering and Management. The search for a new Head of Sourcing and Logistics has been initiated. In the interim period, Tuomas Mustonen, currently SVP Performance, Controlling and Strategy for Sourcing and Logistics, will assume the acting role in this position. “Biomaterials is a core strategic business for Stora Enso. As we now move into an innovation-driven era for biomaterials, I am delighted to appoint Johanna as head of the division. Her proven leadership skills and experience from various industries, including the automotive industry, will enable us to take this business to the next level. Johanna has the background and ability to accelerate commercialisation of new bio-based products, such as Lignode, lignin-based battery carbon for mobile electrification,” says Stora Enso’s President and CEO Annica Bresky.

With Busiest Mailing and Shipping Week Fast Approaching, U.S. Postal Service Reports Stable Service Performance for First-Class Mail, Marketing Mail and Periodicals

The network continues to operate smoothly with the busiest mailing and shipping week fast approaching. Between Nov. 25 and Dec. 8, the Postal Service accepted 4.9 billion mail and packages for delivery. Overall, heading into the busiest mailing and shipping week, average days to deliver a mailpiece was 2.7 days. First quarter-to-date service performance scores covering the period Oct. 1 through Dec. 3 included: *First-Class Mail: 90.1 percent of First-Class Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, an improvement of 2.4 percentage points from the fourth quarter. *Marketing Mail: 92.2 percent of Marketing Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, consistent with performance from the fourth quarter. *Periodicals: 82.6 percent of Periodicals delivered on time against the USPS service standard, consistent with performance from the fourth quarter.

Koehler Paper Celebrates Anniversary as Production Line 2 Hits a Milestone

Koehler Paper now has the opportunity to celebrate an unusual birthday at the end of this year. Production line 2, consisting of paper machine 2 and coating machine 2, was put into operation at the Kehl site at the end of 2001. Paper machine 2 is used exclusively for the production of thermal paper. With a length of 123 meters, the machine is longer than a soccer field. It is also the fastest thermal paper machine in the world, and is known for coupling its speed with astoundingly consistent quality. This all makes it possible to use it to produce more than 1 million checkout rolls a day, with these slips being found everywhere across the world. Paper machine 2 is the reason why Koehler Paper is so successful in the thermal paper market, as it enabled the company to produce lightweight thermal paper with grammages of less than 50 gsm. “Koehler pioneered lightweight thermal paper for POS with grammages of 48 gsm and less – that transformed the market. Truth is, the machine was predestined to make lightweight thermal paper to this very day,” says Willy Früh, Director Thermal Paper Division at Koehler Paper. “When we talk about thermal paper production, you could say we’ve been playing in the Champions League for 20 years now.

RRD Board Accepts Revised Proposal from Atlas at $10.35 Per Share in Cash

December 10, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Printer News

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company announced that it has accepted a proposal from affiliates of Atlas Holdings LLC to increase the price per share of their pending acquisition of RRD to $10.35 per share in cash, and has entered into an amendment to its previously announced definitive merger agreement with affiliates of Atlas, dated as of November 3, 2021. Under the terms of the Amended Agreement, RRD stockholders will receive $10.35 in cash for each share of common stock of the Company that they own, representing a premium of 21.5% over $8.52, the price per share of RRD common stock under the Original Agreement. The revised all-cash transaction is valued at a total enterprise value of approximately $2.2 billion and total equity value of approximately $856 million.

Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports First Quarter Fiscal Year 2022 Operating Results

Costco Wholesale Corporation announced its operating results for the first quarter (twelve weeks) of fiscal 2022, ended November 21, 2021. Net sales for the first quarter increased 16.7 percent, to $49.42 billion from $42.35 billion last year. Net income for the quarter was $1,324 million, $2.98 per diluted share, compared to $1,166 million, $2.62 per diluted share, last year. This year included a tax benefit of $91 million, $0.21 per diluted share, related to stock-based compensation, and a write-off of certain information technology assets of $118 million pre-tax, $0.20 per diluted share. Last year included tax benefits of $145 million, $0.33 per diluted share, and incremental expenses for COVID-19 premium wages of $212 million pre-tax, $0.35 per diluted share.

Michael M. Kubayanda Resumes Role as PRC Chairman

The Postal Regulatory Commission announced today that Michael M. Kubayanda has returned to the agency as chairman. After being re-nominated by President Joseph R. Biden and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Chairman Kubayanda was sworn back into office today, December 9, 2021, to serve a term through November 22, 2026. “I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to continue to work alongside my fellow commissioners and the talented staff of the Commission. The Commission’s work is fundamental at a time of great challenge and opportunity for the Nation’s mail system,” said Chairman Kubayanda. “I would especially like to thank Vice Chairwoman Poling for her exceptional leadership in handling the Commission’s administrative responsibilities during my temporary absence.”

Berry Named One of America’s Most Responsible Companies

Berry Global Group, Inc. is honored to be named number 35 out of 2,000 public companies on America’s Most Responsible Companies presented by Newsweek and global research firm Statista, Inc. Berry secured the number four spot on the list within its respective industry. The list includes the top 500 most responsible companies in the United States across fourteen industry subcategories. Companies were evaluated on their publicly available performance data for the three areas of ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance). Within this focus on environmental sustainability leadership, Berry has recently announced the following: *Our goal to achieve 30% circular plastics use by 2030, surpassing our previous goal to use 10% post-consumer recycled (PCR) resin by 2025 *Agreements to secure over 600 million pounds of recycled material, including advanced recycled material from top suppliers (PureCycle, LyondellBasell, Borealis, and Repsol) *Secured ISCC PLUS certification for 39 sites globally *Led through participation in industry organizations like the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and The Recycling Partnership’s Polypropylene Recycling Coalition and the Film & Flexibles Coalition

Transcontinental Inc. announces its results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2021

December 10, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Printer News

Highlights: *Increase in revenues and solid profitability in the Packaging and Printing Sectors for the quarter. *Revenues of $775.8 million for the quarter ended October 31, 2021; operating earnings of $80.5 million; and net earnings attributable to shareholders of the Corporation of $39.2 million ($0.45 per share). *Made significant investments in research and development laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment in the state of Wisconsin, to drive growth and innovation and optimize the creation of sustainable solutions for customers. *Acquired H.S. Crocker on November 1, 2021, broadening the packaging solutions portfolio in the food sector as well as expanding pharmaceutical and medical expertise in the advanced coatings product offering. *Retirement of François Olivier on December 9, 2021 and Peter Brues will assume the position of President and Chief Executive Officer on December 10, 2021.

Tseshaht First Nation signs Memorandum of Understanding with Catalyst Paper

Tseshaht First Nation and Catalyst Paper, a Paper Excellence company, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding that sets out the intentions of both parties to build a collaborative relationship together. “This document outlines many objectives. None are more important than all of us recognizing and respecting the aboriginal rights of the Tseshaht Nation,” said Walter Tarnowsky, General Manager, Catalyst Port Alberni. “While the signing of this document marks the culmination of a lot of people’s efforts, it truly marks the beginning of a process. We must not look at this process of reconciliation as one of simply understanding and empathizing. It must be a process of genuine change and resolution.” “For Tseshaht it is really important, not just because of the location of the paper mill here, but the history that was once here as a village, as a community, as employment for many of our community members from decades ago until recently. We have members who work here now. It’s a totally interconnected feeling for us, it’s not just about jobs; it’s about sharing history, it’s about sharing culture. It’s about their connection to the Somass River here and how close they are. We’re excited about it,” said Wahmeesh Ken Watts, elected Chief Councillor for Tseshaht First Nation.

UPM Plywood and Industrial Union sign collective labour agreement

UPM Plywood and the Industrial Union have signed a business specific collective labour agreement for UPM Plywood. The new agreement is valid for three years starting from 1.1.2022. The new agreement enables mills to continue production on all weekdays with terms that are satisfactory to both parties. The production output and the employees’ earnings will grow based on the new agreement. In addition, more people will be recruited to the mills. The agreement makes continuous seven-day shift model possible, and this means less working hours compared to the current discontinuous model, and the new agreement allows a shift model that is more employee-friendly. The agreement enables faster reaction to demand peaks thanks to flexible working hours, and it includes mutually agreed terms for production during holidays. Furthermore, a model for temporary work at other UPM Plywood mills was agreed on improving on-the-job learning and development as well as employees’ earnings.

UPM’s sawmill business and Industrial Union reach agreement

UPM Timber and the Finnish Industrial Union have signed a business-specific collective agreement concerning UPM's sawmill business. The new agreement is valid for three years starting 1 January 2022. Negotiations started in May and the agreement was reached well before the end of the current contract period. UPM Timber's business management, sawmill directors, employee representatives of each sawmill and representatives of the Industrial Union were involved in the negotiations. In this way, the discussions provided diverse points of view and also made it possible to better take into account the wishes of the personnel as well as the special features of UPM's sawmill business.

AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report for Friday, 12/10/21

December 10, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Misc

National Average Price for Regular Unleaded Current: $3.335; Month Ago: $3.417; Year Ago: $2.158. National Average Price for Diesel Current: $3.605; Month Ago: $3.642; Year Ago: $2.457.

Key Currency Exchange Rates for Friday, 12/10/21

December 10, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Misc

American Dollar to Canadian Dollar = 0.787469; American Dollar to Chinese Yuan = 0.157006; American Dollar to Euro = 1.128788; American Dollar to Japanese Yen = 0.008807; American Dollar to Mexican Peso = 0.047790.

Clearwater Paper Announces Michael Urlick as New Consumer Products Leader

Clearwater Paper Corporation announced a key divisional executive appointment. Michael (Mike) Urlick has been named senior vice president and general manager of the consumer products division, effective January 1, 2022. Mr. Urlick succeeds Joanne Shufelt, who will be retiring from the company in 2022. “For the past eight years, Mike has been an integral part of the consumer products business and has developed a deep understanding of our tissue customers and our operations,” said Arsen Kitch, president and chief executive officer. “I look forward to Mike’s continued, valued contributions as a senior leader at Clearwater Paper.” Mr. Kitch continued, “I would like to thank Joanne for her many contributions during her more than nine years of leadership at Clearwater Paper. She continues to make a significant and positive impact on the business, and we are grateful for her support during this transition.”

Moore Announces Acquisition of Custom Envelope Manufacturer, Tri-State Envelope (piworld.com)

Moore, a leading constituent experience management (CXM) company, announced the acquisition of Tri-State Envelope, an industry leader specializing in custom envelope manufacturing. With this latest asset purchase, Tri-State Envelope is the fourth envelope manufacturing company Moore has added to its portfolio, along with St. Louis Print Group, Worcester Envelope Company, and its $31 million investment in Richmond Print Group. Based in Ashland, Pennsylvania, with additional manufacturing facilities in Iowa and Maryland, Tri-State Envelope will expand Moore’s supply chain stability through increased capacity, redundancy and location diversification. In its multi-state locations, Tri-State Envelope has the capacity to manufacture 20 million envelopes per day. “Everyone at Tri-State Envelope is very excited about our future as part of Moore,” said Joe O’Donnell, president of Tri-State Envelope. “The envelope manufacturing industry is a critical component in the direct mail business and Tri-State is proud to be on the front lines to provide nonprofits with the materials they need to fundraise for their mission.”

Adobe Digital Price Index: Online Inflation Hits Record High

Adobe announced the latest online inflation data for the month of November 2021. Online prices hit a record highat a 3.5%year-over-year (YoY) increase while prices are down 2% month-over-month (MoM) due to holiday discounts. This is the highest YoY increase since Adobe first began tracking the digital economy in 2014, and it marks the 18th consecutive month of YoY online inflation. Apparel was a standout category with prices up 17.3% YoY and down just 0.4% MoM, reaching a record high of inflation. One dollar out of every four dollars* is now spent online in the U.S., making the digital economy a significant component of the overall economy. The Adobe Digital Price Index (DPI) provides the most comprehensive view into how much consumers are paying for goods online. The DPI covers more than 100 million products in the U.S. and is modeled after the Consumer Price Index issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

AAP October 2021 StatShot Report

Total revenues across all categories for October 2021 were up 23.1% as compared to October 2020, coming in at $1.4 billion. Year to date revenues were up 13.7%, at $13.1 billion for the first ten months of the year. Trade (Consumer Books) sales were up 16.8% in October, coming in at $1.1 billion. Religious press revenues were up 29.4% in October, coming in at $71.3 million. During October of 2021 Education revenues were $284.4 million, up 62.4% compared with October of 2020. Professional Books, including business, medical, law, technical and scientific, were up 5.3% during the month, coming in at $29.5 million.

FSC Welcomes Newest Certificate Holders

In November 2021, FSC welcomed these new certificate holders tot he FSC community: Color Craft Graphic Arts Inc. is an all-inclusive folding carton company. Vermont Wide Plank Flooring, LLC is a manufacturer and distributor specializing in wide plank flooring for residential and commercial applications. Pennsylvania Cherry, LLC is a wood supplier in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Cardbox Packaging Inc. is a multinational producer of collapsible boxes for branded goods and luxury items. Traeger Pellet Grills, LLC is a grill and wood pellet provider. Print Pro, INC is a national wide web flexographic printer. Rex Carton Company Incorporated provides custom box packaging, corrugated shipping containers, corrugated packaging solutions and more. Cranny, LLC is an Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly distributor of various paper products including bags, boxes, and stationary. Rochester Colonial Mfg. Corp is a door distributor. Turner Construction Company is a door distributor. Note that this is only for the Turner Construction Olathe, Kansas door warehouse.

ePac Introduces First Two HP Indigo 25K Presses to ANZ Region

The new ePac digital flexible packaging plant in Melbourne is seeing two HP Indigo 25K digital flexible printing systems go in, with installation by Currie Group. The first ePac production facility in ANZ is eight kilometres from the Melbourne CBD, at the new Newlands Road food manufacturing hub, located in the heart of Coburg’s thriving industrial district. It is being headed up by Jason Brown, formerly group divisional general manager at Ball & Doggett. He said, “Our quick turn-around production time, no setup fees and digitalised process from computer to print allow us to enable small and medium sized brands to achieve higher quality packaging with low minimum orders at optimal prices.” “This strategic collaboration with HP Inc has and will enable us to continue transforming the flexible packaging industry, and ultimately continue to be disruptive in new categories to serve more brands and communities.”

AmPrima™ PE Plus offers a breakthrough sustainability innovation for complex packaging formats

Amcor Flexibles North America continues to forge an innovative path to its 2025 sustainability goal. This time, the stepstone is the combination of critical machinability performance and barrier characteristics for product protection of shelf-stable liquid foods. Amcor’s AmPrima PE Plus heat resistant recycle ready solutions for pouches delivers significant value in multiple ways. It offers: *Pre-qualification of film by How2Recycle® in the U.S for applications that meet the clean and dry requirement *Sealing and spout insertion without distortion due to heat-resistant outer web *Ability to match current run cycles per minute achieved with a non-recyclable oriented polyester laminate *Product quality and flavor preservation with high-barrier properties comparable to AlOx or metallized films *Excellent durability for distribution, including puncture and scuff resistance *A 22% reduction in carbon footprint for AmPrima PE Plus heat resistant pouches compared to a 3ply foil solution even when the used packaging is landfilled. Once recycled the reduction increases to 49%.*Verified by ASSET™ - Amcor’s proprietary lifecycle assessment tool certified by the Carbon Trust

CANPAK Group Makes Bold Renewable Electricity Pledge for 2022

CANPACK Group, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of sustainable packaging, is delighted to announce that starting in 2022 all of its plants across the globe will be powered using 100% renewable electricity where available, and where not available the company will purchase Energy Attribute Certificates or comparable certificates. In doing so, we believe that CANPACK becomes the first global can maker to make such a far-reaching commitment. The company recently signed up to the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), where climate targets are only considered science-based if they’re in line with what’s needed to prevent the world’s climate from rising above 2°C against pre-industrial levels, and ideally for it not to rise more than 1.5°C. As a result, this latest announcement is a further commitment to CANPACK’s Sustainability Targets, which were announced back in January 2021.

Greif Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2021 Results

Fourth Quarter Results Include (all results compared to the fourth quarter 2020 unless otherwise noted)(1): *Net income of $104.5 million or $1.74 per diluted Class A share compared to net income of $44.4 million or $0.74 per diluted Class A share. Net income, excluding the impact of adjustments(2), of $115.4 million or $1.93 per diluted Class A share compared to net income, excluding the impact of adjustments, of $46.4 million or $0.78 per diluted Class A share. Adjusted EBITDA(3) increased by $56.8 million to $211.3 million. *Net cash provided by operating activities decreased by $63.1 million to $137.3 million. Adjusted free cash flow(4) decreased by $79.1 million to $94.8 million primarily as a result of inflationary raw material costs. *Total debt decreased by $261.4 million to $2,225.6 million. Net debt(5) decreased by $280.1 million to $2,101.0 million and decreased by $66.8 million sequentially from the third quarter of 2021. The Company's leverage ratio(6) decreased to 2.49x compared to 3.66x, within our targeted leverage ratio range of 2.0x - 2.5x.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö expands FiltEV® portfolio for electric vehicles, delivering new high performance filtration solutions for fuel cell air intake

Ahlstrom-Munksjö continues to focus on the growth segment of electrification, expanding its latest product offering, totally dedicated to filtration media solutions for electric vehicles. The new solutions for fuel cell electric vehicles complement the products launched earlier in the year for all electric vehicles, including filtration solutions for cabin air, transmission and cooling systems. Ahlstrom-Munksjö understands the market challenges and is developing new commercial solutions to address unmet customer needs for high performance filtration materials for electric vehicles. This now includes a new dedicated filtration solution for fuel cell air intake. “I am very pleased to introduce our new filtration solution for fuel cell air intake,” said Cedric Vallet, Head of Business Development, Industrial Filtration & New Vehicles. “By protecting fuel cells from harmful gases and particulates, we ensure the effective operation of the fuel cell over the entire service lifetime of the vehicle.”

Resolute Announces Share Repurchase Program

Resolute Forest Products Inc. announced that its board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to $100 million or 10 million of the company's common shares, whichever occurs first. Repurchase transactions will be funded using the company's sources of liquidity. "Today's announcement follows recent completion of the share repurchase program announced in March 2020, under which we repurchased 11.5 million shares for $78.3 million, representing 15% of the outstanding shares," said Remi G. Lalonde, president and chief executive officer. "This new program will allow us to continue to act opportunistically to return capital to shareholders when conditions are right. We remain committed to a balanced approach to capital allocation, using our free cash flow to generate value for shareholders, build a stronger company and drive sustainable economic activity in the communities where we operate."

The Dynamic Duo Duel Over the Best Brand Execution

Print marketing offers a blend of many offline marketing touchpoints in the customer journey that multiplies marketing performance when incorporated into a comprehensive optichannel strategy. This course will cover: *New technologies and data-powered print marketing techniques *Top design concepts to consider *The importance of brand consistency across channels *Research: The power of offline marketing in optichannel campaigns. During the Track 1 presentations, you'll hear from leading experts including: *Brent Niemuth, President & Partner, J. Schmid *Tim M. Curtis, President and CEO, CohereOne *Ray Van Iterson, USPS *Sabine Lenz, Founder, PaperSpecs *Lisa Cross, Principal Analyst, NAPCO Research *Chuck Schonert, Director of Research and Development, Idealliance. sign up at: https://lndnm.napco.com/20211213_BUU_WBNR_ELITE_6082_LP.html

South Carolina Department of Education Selects HMH’s Into Reading for K-5 Palmetto Literacy Project Schools

Learning technology company HMH announced that the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) has approved HMH Into Reading™ as a curriculum option for the K-5 Palmetto Literacy Project (PLP) Schools. The K–5 Palmetto Literacy Project schools are a group of 265 schools across the state with a special focus on ensuring all students are reading on grade level. PLP schools will have the ability to purchase the recommended literacy programs using Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to implement in 2022. The PLP review committee found that Into Reading is grounded in science of reading research and shows strong alignment to the five essential science of reading concepts, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. The review also showed that Into Reading’s instructional design aligns with Scarborough’s Reading Rope and has explicit, research-based foundational skills instruction that integrate listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Tetra Pak retains double ‘A’ score for efforts to fight climate change and support forest stewardship

Tetra Pak has been recognised for leadership in corporate sustainability by global environmental non-profit CDP, securing a place on its prestigious ‘A List’ for the third year running for tackling climate change, as well as acting to protect forests – two of the three environmental themes covered by CDP. With this accolade, Tetra Pak cements its position as the only company in the carton packaging sector to be included in the CDP leadership band for six years in a row. CDP’s annual environmental disclosure and scoring process is widely recognised as the gold standard of corporate environmental transparency. In 2021, over 590 investors with over US$110 trillion in assets and 200 major purchasers with US$5.5 trillion in procurement spend requested companies to disclose data on environmental impacts, risks and opportunities through CDP’s platform. A record-breaking 13,000+ companies responded.

Wynnchurch Capital Acquires Appvion’s Thermal Coating Business (businesswire.com)

Wynnchurch Capital, L.P. announced that it has acquired the thermal coating business assets of Appvion Holding Corp. and its subsidiaries. Founded in 1907 and headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, Appvion is a leading provider of specialty and high-performance direct thermal coatings for label and film solutions as well as renewable, fiber-based consumer and industrial packaging solutions. “Since our inception, we have built strong and long-lasting relationships with our customers by offering premium and innovative products, technical expertise and unparalleled service. Wynnchurch shares our values of safety, integrity, honesty and putting the customers first to deliver value. We are excited to partner with them to pursue our next phase of growth,” said George Wurtz, CEO of Appvion.

Holmen is investing SEK 400 million to increase value added and capacity at Iggesund Sawmill

The investment is a further step in Holmen's strategy to grow the wood products business and contribute to the green transition. This will increase the production at Iggesund Sawmill by 20 per cent as well as adding construction timber on top of its joinery products range. "We grow houses. To develop the wood products business is a natural extension of forestry and an important dimension in Holmen’s strategy of owning and adding value to the forest. Following the acquisition of Martinsons and the expansion of Braviken, the investment in Iggesund Sawmill is the next step in strengthening our position in wood products,” says Henrik Sjölund, Holmen’s President and CEO. The investment will enable the sawmill to switch from lower grade joinery spruce to construction timber in both spruce and pine. This will increase the value added and improve the market mix by increasing the share sold to Scandinavian builders’ merchants.

Sappi Cloquet dissolving pulp facility completes the Higg FEM assessment

Sappi Limited continues to reach new milestones by completing the Higg Facility Environmental Management (FEM) verification audit at its Cloquet Mill. Based in Northern Minnesota (United States), the mill is one of the first dissolving pulp facilities to complete this external verification process. A final score of greater than 80% was achieved which is an endorsement of sound environmental practices employed by the mill. Supporting the call to accelerate transparency in the textile and apparel sector, a detailed performance report will be made available to all key stakeholders on request. Developed by the SAC, the Higg FEM is part of a suite of tools that enables manufacturing facilities of all sizes to measure and score their environmental performance against a standard set of criteria, allowing for meaningful and credible performance benchmarking in the apparel and textile sector. Across topics such as water use, carbon emissions and labour conditions, consumer goods brands, retailers, manufacturers, governments, NGOs and consumers can use the Higg Index to inform their individual sustainability strategies and drive collective industry transformation.

A new era in producer responsibility is beginning

The book you ordered online has arrived and now you want to recycle the cardboard box. You take it to local recycling point, but who is actually responsible for organising the recycling facilities and operations? Many people assume that the local municipals are responsible, but in most cases it is actually the company which produced the product. This is called producer responsibility. “It is common to see producer responsibility for tyres, batteries, consumer electronics and packages,” says Teemu Virtanen, Senior Advisor at Pirkanmaa ELY-Centre. “The companies that produce or import the items are responsible for financing and organising waste management. In practice, companies can’t do it alone, so they use producer organisations.” UPM is committed to supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and has identified the goals and respective targets where it can have the biggest positive impact through its operations, products, and solutions, or where it aims to minimise any negative impact. The company considers producer responsibility to be part of the SDG 12, with Responsible consumption and production, that being one of the six chosen UPM´s focus goals. The practicalities of producer responsibility can vary from country to country, so UPM is active in each local system. For example, in Finland UPM is a customer of the Finnish Packaging Recycling organisation RINKI.

Metsä Board recognised with an outstanding triple CDP ‘A’ score for its environmental leadership in climate change, water security and forests

Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, has been recognised for leadership in corporate sustainability by global environmental non-profit CDP, securing a place on its prestigious ‘A List’ for tackling climate change as well as acting to protect water security and forests – all three environmental themes covered by CDP. Metsä Board is one of only 14 companies that achieved a triple ‘A’, out of nearly 12,000 companies that were scored based on data submitted through CDP’s questionnaires in 2021. Metsä Board’s mission is to create packaging solutions that respect nature. The fresh fibre raw materials that come from sustainably managed Northern European forests, resource efficient production and the low carbon footprint of lightweight paperboards provide a solid foundation for responsible operations. “Sustainability is a prerequisite of a profitable business. It is also important for our customers and other stakeholders that the cooperation with Metsä Board is built on a responsible foundation. We have ambitious sustainability targets including 100% fossil free mills and raw materials by the end of 2030. These ‘A List’ positions are a recognition of our systematic work to achieve these goals," says Mika Joukio, CEO of Metsä Board.

Wiley Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2022 Results

*Research Publishing & Platforms rose 9% as reported and at constant currency and 4% excluding acquisitions, driven by strong growth in open access, corporate solutions, and research platforms. *Academic & Professional Learning grew 4% as reported and 3% at constant currency, driven by strong recovery in Professional Learning from prior-year COVID lockdown impacts. This more than offset a decline in Education Publishing due to softer US enrollment and some easing of prior-year COVID-related tailwinds in content and courseware. *Education Services increased 17% as reported and 15% at constant currency, driven by 3% growth in University Services (formerly OPM) and strong double-digit growth in Talent Development (formerly mthree). *GAAP EPS was $0.99 as compared to $1.22 in the prior year period, which included a $0.25 discrete tax benefit related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES ACT).

Atlantic Printing & Graphics is Zero Waste Certified

We are extraordinarily proud to announce that Atlantic Printing & Graphics in Tabor City, NC has been officially certified as a Zero Waste facility. This status is verified by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) through their TRUE Zero Waste Certification Program. Atlantic Printing & Graphics achieved this by diverting more than 90% of its waste from the landfill for the most recent 12 months at the time of certification. We are also proud to be the first packaging company to achieve a Zero Waste Certification through the TRUE Program at GBCI. It’s inspiring and incredibly motivating to set this standard and chart the path for ourselves and for the entire packaging supply chain.

Three New Directors Elected at the GreenFirst AGM

GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. is pleased to announce Barbara Anie, David Chartrand, and W. Sean Willy have been elected to the GreenFirst Board of Directors at its Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) on December 2, 2021. Directors, Hassan Raza Baqar, Richard E Govignon, and Andrew McIntyre did not stand for re-election. Paul Rivett, Rick Doman, William G. Harvey, Michael Mitchell, Marty Proctor, and Larry G. Swets Jrwere re-elected at the meeting. “We are honoured to welcome Barbara Anie, David Chartrand and W. Sean Willy to our Board. At this exciting time for GreenFirst, their significant corporate governance expertise and business acumen will contribute to the strategic growth of the Company.” said Paul Rivett, Chairman. ” We would also like to express my appreciation to Hassan Raza Baqar, Richard E Govignon, and Andrew McIntyre for their valuable advice and counsel to the Company.

Rayonier Advanced Materials Announces Election Of Vito J. Consiglio As President And CEO

Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. announced that its Board of Directors elected Vito J. Consiglio to succeed Paul G. Boynton as President and Chief Executive Officer and Board member effective January 1, 2022. Mr. Boynton, who has served as President and CEO since the Company’s spin-off in 2014, announced his decision to retire from the Company, and, as part of the leadership transition, he will assume the role of Vice Chair of the Board until the May 2022 Annual Meeting. “In 2021, the Board of Directors commenced an extensive and well-planned search for a CEO candidate with the expertise and ability to effectively capitalize on the Company’s tremendous growth potential,” said Lisa Palumbo, Chair of the Board’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. “With his broad commercial expertise and operational acumen, Vito has a proven track record of driving strategic growth in the specialty materials sector. Given his strengths in areas of critical importance to RYAM, including strategy deployment, technical sales and innovation, we believe Vito is the ideal CEO to lead RYAM into its next chapter of growth and success.”

ANDRITZ successfully starts up the first of two tissue machines delivered to Guangxi Sun Paper, China

International technology group ANDRITZ has successfully started up one of the two PrimeLineTM W 2000 tissue machines delivered to Guangxi Sun Paper, China, for its mill in Beihai City, Guangxi Province. The second tissue machine (TM6) is expected to be started up by the end of this year. The tissue machine (TM5) has a design speed of 2,000 m/min, a working width of 5.65 m, and a capacity of 60,000 t/a. To enable energy-efficient production, it is equipped with a large suction press roll, an 18 ft. PrimeDry Steel Yankee with head insulation, and a re-evaporation system. For optimum end-product quality, forming fabrics and press felts by ANDRITZ Fabrics and Rolls were installed.

Canfor Pulp Products Inc. Announces Production Curtailments in Response to Supply Chain Challenges

Canfor Pulp Products Inc. is announcing temporary NBSK and BCTMP production reductions at Northwood Pulp and Taylor Pulp in response to the significant transportation interruptions being experienced in British Columbia (BC). The Company’s pulp shipments have declined as a result of the recent weather-related transportation disruptions. With pulp mill inventories nearing capacity, the Company’s pulp production will be reduced until such time as the BC transportation network is able to return to more-normal operating conditions. This will result in reduced production achieved through a minimum two-week curtailment of Canfor’s NBSK production at Northwood Pulp and a minimum four-week curtailment of the production of BCTMP at Taylor Pulp. “As a result of the extreme rainfall and flooding that BC has been experiencing in recent weeks, the rail and highway networks have been substantially impacted. Our employees have worked very hard to mitigate the impacts of the supply chain challenges and it has now become critical to reduce production to manage inventory levels and ensure employee safety until the transportation network returns to more normal operations,” said Canfor Pulp’s Chief Executive Officer, Don Kayne.

Mondi recognised by CDP with outstanding Triple A score for climate, forests and water security

Global packaging and paper leader Mondi has been recognised by CDP with a prestigious Triple A score for the second year in a row. Of the nearly 12,000 organisations rated, Mondi is one of only 14 worldwide to achieve a Triple A score for its sustainability performance on climate, forests and water security. "Our purpose is to contribute to a better world by making packaging and paper sustainable by design. Achieving another ‘Triple A’ score from CDP is a testament to our continued efforts in leading the way on sustainability and reporting transparently on our progress. This rating acknowledges our clear ambitions and best-practice approach to taking action on climate, protecting forests and safeguarding water resources in line with our MAP2030 sustainability framework." Gladys Naylor, Group Head of Sustainable Development at Mondi

Kellogg’s to trial recyclable paper liners in cereal boxes (twosides.info/uk)

Kellogg’s, in partnership with Tesco, have announced that it will trial paper liners within cereal boxes in a select number of stores from January 2022. According to the company, the plastic inner liner in cereal boxes is not currently widely accepted in kerbside recycling. The new paper liner is reportedly recyclable and will make Kellogg’s entire cereal packaging paper-based, as the cereal’s outer card packaging is already fully recyclable. The new packaging, developed by Kellogg’s packaging technologists, is apparently suitable for the process of filling and sealing bags inside of cereal boxes that takes place at the company’s factory, as well as for transporting the cereal to retailers.

With Peak Mailing and Shipping Season Underway, U.S. Postal Service Performance Remains Solid Across All Categories

First quarter-to-date service performance scores covering the period Oct. 1 through Nov. 26 included: *First-Class Mail: 91.1 percent of First-Class Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, an improvement of 2.6 percentage points from the fourth quarter. *Marketing Mail: 92.4 percent of Marketing Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, consistent with performance from the fourth quarter. *Periodicals: 83.4 percent of Periodicals delivered on time against the USPS service standard, an improvement of .6 percentage points from the fourth quarter. The Postal Service anticipates that between 850 million and 950 million packages will be delivered for the holidays. The total number of letters, cards and packages processed and delivered between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is estimated to be more than 12 billion.

PEFC releases new list of PEFC product categories

The PEFC product categories are a key element in the implementation of the PEFC chain of custody by certified organisations and certification bodies. The revised list of PEFC product categories, as approved by the Chain of Custody Working Group on 15 October 2021, is now available. The PEFC product categories define the PEFC product groups to which the chain of custody is applied and the scope of the chain of custody certificate. When checking the validity of a PEFC claim on a PEFC certified product, companies use the PEFC database to ensure the product is under the scope of their certified supplier. Additionally, the categories serve as a tool for the promotion of certified products, with the list of product categories covered by a certified organisation available on the PEFC International website.

Worzalla Raises $50,000 for United Way of Portage County

Worzalla, an employee-owned book printer specializing in printing high-quality children’s books, movie tie-in books and cookbooks, raised over $50,000 for the United Way of Portage County’s Live United, Give United campaign. Money raised for the campaign will go to United Way programs that help Portage County families in need. “Worzalla associates are good neighbors and are consistently inspired to support the community. Once again, our associates came together to raise funds for the United Way of Portage County,” said Brett O’Sullivan, Worzalla’s United Way Campaign Coordinator. “With a mission of bringing people and resources together to achieve measurable results that improve people’s lives and strengthen our community, the United Way continues to support the new and ongoing challenges the less fortunate face.” To inspire associates to support the campaign, Worzalla ran a giveaway for various prizes like paid time-off, premier parking spots, gift cards, fun prizes, and entry into the Portage County Sweepstakes. Among the nearly 20 winners were Joe Omernik, Diane Landowski and the grand prize winner was Brian Deuel.

Kernow North America Expands with New Channel Sales Manager – Wide Format

We’re delighted to welcome Shawn Crandall to the KNA Team! Shawn brings to Kernow a wealth of knowledge with 30+ years’ experience in the Wide Format industry. Shawn has owned a wide format supply company, sold large format printing devices for Canon, and has been a corporate specification manager at Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions. He was also Applications Engineer, Product Manager and a Sales Manager for HP Large Format. He has also been a graphics production manager and owned a signage and graphics company in San Jose, California. We’re confident that the addition of Shawn will help to meet our customers goals in Wide Format products applications and complete value-added solutions.

Does printing make you more productive? 79 per cent of office study survey respondents say yes

A new survey commissioned by Stora Enso on post-pandemic work and printing habits polled 3,400 workplace consumers across Sweden, UK, France, Netherlands, and Germany, on how they feel about printing and what they want from their office paper. The survey delivered some surprising insights, and some not so surprising. During 2020 and early 2021, the pandemic-driven shift to stay-at-home work naturally brought a dip in demand for office paper, with people on average printing 32 per cent more at the office than at home. Now with the economic recovery – 35 per cent of respondents having already returned to their office and a further 51 per cent expecting to return soon – the good news for the industry is that back to the office will also mean back to print. Stora Enso’s Jonathan Bakewell, VP, Head of Segment Office and Book Papers, says: “This increase in printer paper demand, marked by a return to the office, has been hoped for, but these results reaffirm it.”

Ulta Beauty Announces Record Third Quarter Fiscal 2021 Results

For the Third Quarter of Fiscal 2021: *Net sales increased 28.6% to $2.0 billion compared to $1.6 billion in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 due to the favorable impact from stronger consumer confidence and fewer COVID-19 restrictions compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2020. *Comparable sales (sales for stores open at least 14 months, including stores temporarily closed due to COVID-19, and e-commerce sales) increased 25.8%. *Gross profit increased to $789.5 million compared to $545.5 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020. *Operating income increased to $284.2 million, or 14.2% of net sales, compared to $101.3 million, or 6.5% of net sales, in the third quarter of fiscal 2020.

Tilly’s, Inc. Announces Third Consecutive Quarter of Record Quarterly Net Sales

*Total net sales were $206.1 million, an increase of $65.8 million or 46.9%, compared to $140.3 million last year. -Net sales from physical stores were $165.3 million, an increase of $60.7 million or 58.1%, compared to $104.6 million last year. -Net sales from e-commerce were $40.8 million, an increase of $5.1 million or 14.3%, compared to $35.7 million last year. E-commerce net sales represented 19.8% of total net sales compared to 25.5% of total net sales last year. -Total comparable net sales for the third quarter of fiscal 2021 compared to the pre-pandemic third quarter of fiscal 2019 increased by 27.4%. *Gross profit was $76.7 million, or 37.2% of net sales, a record in the Company's history as a public company, compared to $40.7 million, or 29.0% of net sales, last year. *Operating income improved to $29.0 million, or 14.1% of net sales, compared to $3.5 million, or 2.5% of net sales, primarily due to the significant increase in net sales. *Net income improved to $20.8 million, or $0.66 per diluted share, which are third quarter records for the Company as a public company, compared to $2.1 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, last year.

Strategic roadmap launched to promote sustainable supply chains for the fashion industry in Singapore

A three-year strategic roadmap to promote fashion supply chain sustainability and responsible procurement was launched in Singapore on 30 November between the Textile and Fashion Federation (TaFF) and PEFC International. This partnership will drive greater awareness among TaFF members, partners, and stakeholders of the importance of legal and sustainable sourcing of materials, like fibre from the forests but also its packaging and natural rubber used in the sector. Fashion supply chain sustainability and responsible procurement are critical to make sure that we all benefit from the many products that forests provide now while ensuring these forests will be around for generations to come.

Sonoco-Alcore to Increase Tube & Core Prices in the EMEA Region

Sonoco-Alcore announced that due to continued inflationary pressure on the business, it will raise prices by 10 percent on all tube and core grades sold in the Company’s EMEA regions. The increase will be effective for all shipments made on or after the 13th December 2021. “We continue to experience further cost increases in all sectors of our operations and supply chain. Even with a strong focus on implementing productivity initiatives, they are not enough to offset inflationary pressures from energy, packaging, transportation, adhesives and raw materials. As such, we are forced to pass on cost increases to the market,” said Karsten Kemmerling, Division VP - Sales & Marketing EMEA.

Duraco Specialty Tapes Acquires 3 Sigma

OpenGate Capital portfolio company, Duraco Specialty Tapes (“Duraco” or “Company”), a leading manufacturer of pressure-sensitive tapes and specialty materials, announced today that it has acquired 3 Sigma, a custom solution provider of pressure-sensitive products and specialty coatings from Brixey & Meyer Capital. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 3 Sigma has an established track record of providing unique, high-quality custom solutions to customers in high-growth health and beauty, flexible packaging, food and beverage, and medical end markets. The add-on acquisition of 3 Sigma significantly broadens Duraco’s technical toolbox and manufacturing capabilities to better serve customers with a more expansive and diverse set of custom formulated products and high value manufactured solutions.

Mossberg & Company Adds Eight-Color Sheetfed Offset Perfecting Press (piworld.com)

Mossberg & Company Inc., a fixture in the region’s printing industry since 1930, has bolstered its capabilities with the recent installation of a Heidelberg XL-106 8-color press. The 41-inch perfecting press, which increases the number of impressions per hour by 3,000, replaces two of Mossberg’s presses while increasing productivity and reducing overall setup time. It also frees up space in Mossberg’s manufacturing facility, allowing for future technological advances. Mossberg has served the printing, distribution and marketing needs of customers from an array of industries, including health care, consumer products, higher education, retail, tourism and craft beverages. The company employs approximately 110 professionals and has sales representation in South Bend, Indianapolis and Michigan.

ND Paper’s Sister Company, ND Packaging, Officially Opens For Business

ND Packaging has officially opened its 350,000 Sq. Ft. corrugated packaging plant in southeastern Wisconsin. At full operation, this new facility will add more than 80 full-time job to the region. Today marks the beginning of a new a new and experience-backed venture into the growing packaging industry. The company is excited to bring jobs to the community and add growth to import Wisconsin business sector. Furthermore, ND Packaging is thrilled to start producing high-quality corrugated sheets and containers and provide exceptional solutions for customers in the Chicagoland and greater Wisconsin marketplace. “While it has certainly been an endeavor, essentially starting from scratch has its distinct advantages,” said Ken Liu, CEO of ND Packaging and its affiliate ND Paper who, along with and a dedicated team of hard working and talented professionals, including Jon Hospodar, the new General Manager of the Sturtevant facility, has spearheaded this initiative. “We acquired the space and have been filling it with the right equipment and the right people to provide a value-added solution for our customers,” Mr. Liu continued.

AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report for Friday, 12/3/21

December 3, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Misc

National Average Price for Regular Unleaded Current: $3.370; Month Ago: $3.403; Year Ago: $2.164. National Average Price for Diesel Current: $3.627; Month Ago: $3.636; Year Ago: $2.438.

Key Currency Exchange Rates for Friday, 12/3/21

December 3, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Misc

American Dollar to Canadian Dollar = 0.779947; American Dollar to Chinese Yuan = 0.156954; American Dollar to Euro = 1.131203; American Dollar to Japanese Yen = 0.008823; American Dollar to Mexican Peso = 0.047055.

Luxury potatoes packaged responsibly

A plastic-reducing alternative to potato packaging has been introduced by Finnish Tuorekartano Oy when it recently launched its special potatoes in paperboard packaging. Tuorekartano Oy's premium quality La Ratte potatoes will now be packed in easily recyclable and biodegradable packaging made of a lightweight and durable paperboard produced by Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group. The paperboard is ideally suited to protect the potatoes from damage and sunlight. The small package size will also help to reduce food waste. "Tuorekartano is a company committed to Agenda 2030 and Commitment 2050 and has set itself clear sustainability targets. Plastic-free packaging, such as La Ratte cartons, is part of these goals. We have already reduced the amount of plastic in our packaging materials by 25%," says Kari Kastari, CEO of Tuorekartano Oy. The packaging is made of lightweight MetsäBoard Prime FBB EB paperboard, which is made from pure fresh fibres and is suitable for direct contact with food. The dispersion coating of the board improves the moisture and grease resistance of the board, and the packaging can be easily recycled and is also suitable for home composting.

RRD Board Unanimously Determines that Chatham’s Unsolicited Proposal to Acquire RRD for $10.25 Per Share in Cash Constitutes a “Superior Proposal”

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company announced that its Board of Directors unanimously determined that an unsolicited proposal from Chatham Asset Management, LLC to acquire all of the common stock of the Company not already owned by Chatham and its affiliates for $10.25 per share in cash (the “Chatham Proposal”) constitutes a “Superior Proposal” as defined in the Company’s previously announced definitive merger agreement with affiliates of Atlas Holdings LLC, dated as of November 3, 2021. Under the terms of the Atlas Merger Agreement, affiliates of Atlas have agreed to acquire the Company for $8.52 per share in cash. RRD has notified Atlas of the Board’s determination that the Chatham Proposal constitutes a Superior Proposal and that RRD intends to terminate the Atlas Merger Agreement for the purpose of entering into a definitive merger agreement with affiliates of Chatham.

Blackstone Tactical Opportunities Announces Acquisition of Sustana, a Leading Manufacturer of Sustainable Recycled Fiber, Paper and Packaging

Blackstone announced that funds managed by its Blackstone Tactical Opportunities business have acquired Sustana Group, a leading manufacturer of premium, sustainable recycled fiber, paper and packaging products, from an affiliate of H.I.G. Capital (“H.I.G.”). Headquartered in De Pere, Wisconsin, Sustana uses post-consumer materials and the high standards for environmental sustainability to produce a comprehensive suite of recycled fiber, paper and packaging solutions for customers throughout North America. It services a diversified customer base through four facilities, all of which have leading energy efficiency, water conservation systems, wastewater treatment technology and recycling of process by-products.

Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports November Sales Results

Costco Wholesale Corporation reported net sales of $18.13 billion for the retail month of November, the four weeks ended November 28, 2021, an increase of 15.7 percent from $15.67 billion last year. For the twelve-week first quarter ended November 21, 2021, the Company reported net sales of $49.42 billion, an increase of 16.7 percent from $42.35 billion last year. For the thirteen weeks ended November 28, 2021, the Company reported net sales of $54.10 billion, an increase of 16.8 percent from $46.33 billion last year.

IAC’s Dotdash Announces Close of Meredith Transaction

IAC company Dotdash announced the completion of its acquisition of Meredith Holdings Corp., owner of world-class brands such as PEOPLE, Better Homes & Gardens, FOOD & WINE, Allrecipes, Southern Living, InStyle and REAL SIMPLE, in an all cash transaction at a purchase price of $42.18 per share. The new Dotdash Meredith combines celebrated and iconic brands with digital DNA to create America’s largest digital and print publisher—a top 10 internet property[1] able to deliver intent-driven content and experiences at scale. The company, headquartered in New York City and led by CEO Neil Vogel, will be its own reporting segment within IAC. “Today marks the start of a big new opportunity at IAC—conceived by the ambitious minds of Neil Vogel and the Dotdash team and made possible in collaboration with our talented new colleagues from Meredith—to define a new future in publishing,” said Joey Levin, CEO of IAC. “Dotdash Meredith has a bright future ahead.”

SFI and NCASI Partner to Address The Climate Challenge With Carbon and Water Tools

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. (NCASI) announced the launch of the SFI-NCASI Carbon and Water Tools today. These science-based tools will help increase understanding of how SFI-certified forests can be used as nature-based solutions to help mitigate climate change and ensure water conservation. These new measurement tools help quantify the contributions of the 370 million acres/150 million hectares of forestland certified to the SFI Forest Management Standard in addressing climate change and meeting the water needs of both society and ecological systems. “We know the carbon in SFI-certified forests make them essential to reducing the impacts of climate change. However, quantifying the carbon values associated with SFI-certified forests can be challenging. These new tools will inform scientists in ways that will advance the already significant impact of forests toward mitigating climate change and providing for our water needs,” said Paul Trianosky, SFI’s Chief Conservation Officer.

Amcor unveils state-of-the-art healthcare packaging facility in Singapore

Amcor announced the opening of its greenfield packaging facility in Tuas, Singapore. The dedicated healthcare packaging facility will address a current and future market need, as demand for healthcare packaging is rapidly increasing across the region. Amcor’s new Tuas facility comprises cleanroom manufacturing environments, capability in three-, seven- and nine-layer co-extrusion blown film, and state-of-the-art flexographic printing. It is also fully certified to ISO 13485, ensuring the ability to fully satisfy industry regulatory requirements.

Single-use packaging is a sustainable choice for society, the science says so

Studies show that single use paper-based packaging has lower carbon and freshwater impacts than reusable systems because of the energy and water needed to wash and dry foodservice tableware. “We should stop the guessing game when we look at environmentally viable solutions, and we should trust the science and work together to make our economies circular,” says Eric Le Lay, President Fiber Foodservice Europe-Asia-Oceania at Huhtamaki, and President of the European Paper Packaging Alliance (EPPA). Commissioned by the EPPA, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) found that contrary to widely held perceptions, reusable tableware has a significantly higher environmental impact than paper-based single-use systems in areas which crucially impact climate change.

Smurfit Kappa invests in sustainable new water treatment facility in Colombia

Smurfit Kappa has completed a two-phase upgrade of its facilities at the Barranquilla Paper Mill in Colombia. The 7.5 million USD investment saw the implementation of a Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) with state-of-the-art anaerobic technology, which reduces water intake from the nearby Magdalena River and improves the quality of water returned to it. The investment is a further example of Smurfit Kappa’s ongoing commitment to good water stewardship through using water sustainably and supporting natural water ecosystems. The upgraded facilities allow the Barranquilla site, which produces containerboard from 100% recycled materials, to contribute towards Smurfit Kappa’s ambitious sustainability targets that were expanded in January 2021.

Paper Excellence Announces Indefinite Curtailment of Catalyst Paper tiskwat Mill in Powell River, BC

Paper Excellence announced the indefinite curtailment of operations at its Catalyst Paper tiskwat mill. The ongoing contraction of global paper markets and paper prices, particularly in Asia, are creating significant on-going financial losses at the mill. Despite the best efforts of the mill’s committed team of employees, the facility is simply not viable under the reality of today’s market conditions. Paper Excellence is engaged with our governments and potential partners investigating promising new opportunities that would take advantage of the facility’s unique access to deep water, natural gas, electricity, and water supplies, as well as its existing biomass boiler with power generating capacity, wastewater treatment and solid waste disposal infrastructure. It is Paper Excellence’s long-term goal that the site continues to provide meaningful employment and economic activity in Powell River.

ANDRITZ receives repeat order to supply key process equipment for Klabin’s Ortigueira pulp mill in Brazil

ANDRITZ’s delivery for the hardwood Fiberline capacity increase for the Puma I line includes modernization of the cooking, washing, screening and bleaching processes, which will increase the capacity from 3,742 adt/d to 4,080 adt/d. The order also includes a new ANDRITZ DD-WasherTM (drum displacer washer), which will ensure production of high-quality pulp, maximum operating time, and low chemical consumption, thus minimizing the environmental impact. The DD-Washer supplied to Klabin will be the 400th such washer to be sold worldwide. Pablo Cadaval, General Mill Manager of Klabin – Puma Unit, says: "We selected our reliable partner ANDRITZ to supply a new DD-Washer, a washer whose capabilities are already very familiar to us, especially its flexibility for higher production rates and low chemical consumption in bleaching.”

Mondi opens ISTA performance lab for safer packaging in transit

Mondi has opened a new ISTA-certified laboratory at Mondi Bupak in České Budějovice (CZ), which is one of its Central European corrugated solutions flagship plants and a hub for development and production of eCommerce packaging. The laboratory offers various transport performance tests, including ISTA 6 certification testing for packaging. In addition, Mondi’s laboratory is an approved member of the Amazon Packaging Support and Supplier Network (APASS) and hence a partner of choice for testing Amazon’s Tier 1-3 compliant packaging (FFP, SIOC and PFP)(1), which is a market standard of the online retailer for reducing packaging volume in eCommerce logistics.

Red Leaf Pulp Awarded $3.8 Million to Commercialize Low-Carbon Non-Wood Pulping Technology

Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) has awarded Red Leaf Pulp Ltd. $3.8 Million to commercialize an innovative and game-changing pulping technology using wheat straw and other sustainable agricultural resources along with wood-based pulp in traditional applications. With its technology, Red Leaf will enhance utilization of existing agricultural resources, support the agriculture industry, and lower the carbon intensity associated with producing paper and packaging materials. As demand for paper products rises due to the shift away from plastic and polystyrene use, Red Leaf’s technology offers a sustainable alternative to responding to this demand by using a fibre source that does not contribute to deforestation. This funding will also assist in co-product commercialization efforts that will potentially allow Red Leaf’s facility to become planet positive.

Supply Chain Woes & Customer Communication (jschmid.com)

The scarcity is real, and for most retailers – the occasional backorder went from a low-grade and fairly infrequent problem to major outages, much of the time, and backorders of 3-4 months are increasingly common. Customer reactions range from anger and frustration to panic that they won’t get what they need. Believe it or not, it’s possible to make the best of a bad situation. A brand’s response to trying situations: returns, backorders, and out-of-stocks, can make or break your customers’ perception. So what moves make sense? First, your customer has an immediate need. So when possible, sell what’s available today (SWAT). Something that can fill that is far superior to a perfect solution that’s available in 4-6 months. You need a reliable inventory system, and a knowledgeable staff that’s empowered and capable to direct customers to the right solution that’s available on hand, or smart website algorithms that can suggest an appropriate alternate product. But what if offering an alternative product is not possible? Then it becomes about managing expectations, communicating early and often, and empathizing with the customers’ likely frustrations. More at: https://www.brandunited.com/article/supply-chain-woes-communicating-customers/

Stora Enso introduces portfolio for bio-based packaging foam

Stora Enso is extending its packaging offering with a new portfolio of bio-based foams from wood. The products are fully recyclable and can be used for protective and thermal packaging. Lightweight wood foams address the need for climate-friendly, renewable and circular cushioning materials in inner packaging. Stora Enso’s offering consists of Fibrease™ by Stora Enso and Papira® by Stora Enso. Both foams come with versatile technical and sustainability properties, and customers can select a suitable foam based on their specific packaging requirements. The foams can be used for protecting fragile goods and are optimal for thermal packaging of temperature sensitive products. Fibrease is commercially available now, while the pilot plant for producing Papira has started operations at the Fors site in Sweden, following the investment announced in August 2020. Fossil-based packaging is a major contributor to pollution, accounting for 40% of the world’s plastics. With Fibrease and Papira, Stora Enso now introduces renewable and climate-friendly alternatives to fossil-based packaging protection. The bio-based foams come from certified wood and are recyclable in paper recycling streams.

Paper Excellence Welcomes Domtar Into Its Group of Companies

The Paper Excellence Group announced the successful closing of its previously-announced acquisition of Domtar. The acquisition further establishes Paper Excellence Group as an industry leader, significantly broadening its global reach and expanding its product range to include airlaid nonwovens and containerboard, in addition to significantly increased pulp and paper production. Domtar will operate as a stand-alone business entity within the Paper Excellence Group, with Domtar’s current CEO and management team remaining in place. There are no further changes to operating locations, business plans, or Domtar’s employee base at this time.

Email, First-Party Data Seen As Critical As Cookies Disappear, Brands Say (mediapost.com)

Brands preparing for the end of the third-party cookie see one possible solution in email, judging by “Life after the third-party cookie,” a study by Lytics, done in conjunction with Sapio. Of the companies polled, 51% plan to spend more on email, and many see first-party data as critical to this effort. In general, 92% say first-party data is more important than ever. The most popular ways of using first-party data are to: *Create personalized content on websites — 56% *Predict customer behavior — 54% *Create more personalized emails — 48%. Almost half believe the end of third-party cookies will have a great impact on their marketing ROI. This includes 55% of financial-services marketers; 46% of beauty brands, 54% of media companies and 57%. of advertisers with budgets between $10 and $20 million.

Public consultation: Slovakian forest certification system

Stakeholders from around the world are invited to give feedback on the revised Slovak Forest Certification Scheme. Deadline for comments is 27 January 2022. Give your feedback. PEFC Slovakia revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. The Slovakian system was submitted to PEFC after being revised in line with PEFC requirements. The national system is now undergoing the PEFC assessment process, carried out by an independent PEFC Registered Assessor. It must pass this assessment to maintain its PEFC endorsement.

Tredegar Agrees to Sell Ownership Interest in kaléo

Tredegar Corporation reported that its approximate 18% ownership interest in kaleo, Inc is expected to be sold pursuant to an agreement dated November 28, 2021, whereby Marathon Asset Management will be providing kaléo shareholders a full liquidity event opportunity. Closing of the Transaction, which is contingent upon the satisfaction of customary conditions, is anticipated to occur by December 31, 2021. Closing of the Transaction as of December 31, 2021, is projected to result in cash proceeds for Tredegar of $45.8 million.

Eco-Products Expands Vanguard, a Groundbreaking Line of Compostable Takeout Containers

Eco-Products® announced the addition of seven new items to its Vanguard™ lineup. Made from plant-based sugarcane fiber and certified as compostable, these two-piece compostable take-out containers are perfect for restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores and snack bars seeking environmentally preferable options. Vanguard is an award-winning line that uses a proprietary chemistry to achieve grease resistance without the use of PFAS. Vanguard recently earned the coveted GreenScreen Certified™ Silver designation for avoiding the use of PFAS and other chemicals of high concern or known regrettable substitutes. Eco-Products is now expanding its Vanguard formulation to other products, including its popular WorldView™ line of to-go containers.

Heidelberg commits to becoming climate neutral by 2030

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is redoubling its activities in sustainability management. Against the backdrop of the global challenges caused by climate change, and as part of its sustainability strategy, Heidelberg has made a commitment to become climate neutral by 2030. To help achieve this goal, the company has set up an Environmental Social Governance (ESG) panel, which is responsible for developing strategy and defining, implementing, and monitoring the associated measures. The panel is headed by Dr. Eva Boll, who reports directly to the CEO. “Heidelberg is well aware of its responsibilities regarding the dangers posed by global climate change and affirms the 1.5-degree target of the Paris Agreement,” says the company’s CEO, Rainer Hundsdörfer. “For many years, we have been actively working to gradually minimize harmful emissions and reduce the health and environmental impact of our sites. We have now made a further commitment to ensuring our worldwide production and distribution sites are operating on a climate-neutral basis by 2030, which is earlier than required by legislation.”

RRD Confirms Receipt of Revised Proposal from Chatham Asset Management

November 30, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Printer News

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company announced that it has received a proposal from Chatham Asset Management, LLC to acquire all of the outstanding shares of RRD not already owned by Chatham for $10.25 per share in cash. The RRD Board of Directors, consistent with its fiduciary duties and in accordance with the terms of its definitive merger agreement with affiliates of Atlas Holdings LLC, dated as of November 3, 2021, will carefully review and consider the Revised Chatham Proposal to determine the course of action that it believes is in the best interests of the Company and RRD shareholders. RRD shareholders do not need to take any action at this time and the Board has not yet made any determination with respect to the Revised Chatham Proposal.

GreenFirst Announces 2021 Third Quarter Results

Third Quarter Highlights: On August 28, 2021 completed the acquisition of sawmill and newsprint assets from certain Canadian subsidiaries of Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. in Ontario and Quebec. *The mills continue to operate as ‘business as usual’ as Management focuses on setting up its back-office functions in North Bay and Toronto. *Q3 results includes only 4 weeks of operating results for the newly acquired operations. *Q3 2021 reported a negative Adjusted EBITDA of $4,736 after adjusting for acquisition related expenses. *Q3 2021 net loss of $13,486 ($0.16 loss per share) includes the expensing of transaction costs. *Lumber markets have rebounded in September and October from the low prices in August.

New innovation from Stora Enso minimizes plastic in paper cups to help food service brands meet sustainability targets

UltraThinPE Tec™ is a new innovation from Stora Enso that significantly reduces the share of plastic coating in foodservice [board (FSB) and applications such as single-use paper cups. With the help of UltraThinPE Tec™, Stora Enso has developed the thinnest polymer coating for FSB products on the market. This achievement allows for paper cup designs with less than 5% plastic – an important step in helping packaging converters, brand-owners, and retailers meet their plastics reduction targets. The technology is presently used in the production of UltraThinPE coatings for Stora Enso’s Cupforma product range for paper cups. Paperboard material used for producing paper cups requires a barrier – commonly made from plastic – that offers both protection against liquid and functionality in converting. UltraThinPE Tec™ greatly improves the sustainability of paper cups by yielding the lowest plastic coating weight available on the market and reducing the overall carbon footprint of the finished product. UltraThinPE Tec™ reduces plastic coating weight by up to 40% when compared to Cupforma Natura products with 15 g/m2 PE (polyethylene) or renewable PE Green coatings (bio-based polyethylene), therefore enabling a share of greater than 95% paperboard. Achieving a plastic share of less than 5% helps brand-owners meet the composite threshold for packaging in some European countries. As a result, UltraThinPE Tec™ coatings can significantly reduce extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees by as much as 75% in countries such as Germany.

Holiday store catalogs are returning, reviving a classic tradition (today.com)

Before the era of online shopping, the department store Sears published its first holiday catalog in 1934. It started a tradition of kids circling pictures of toys they wanted from Santa and had adults bookmarking jewelry, appliances and more gift ideas. The nostalgic trend is being kept alive after Amazon began sending out its own toy catalogue in 2018 and is bringing it back this year. NBC’s Harry Smith reports in this week’s Sunday Spotlight. more at: https://www.today.com/video/holiday-store-catalogs-are-returning-reviving-a-classic-tradition-127345733612

RRD Board Announces Expiration of “Go-Shop” Period and Qualification of “Excluded Parties”

November 29, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Printer News

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company announced the expiration of the “go-shop” period set forth in the previously announced definitive merger agreement with affiliates of Atlas Holdings LLC, dated as of November 3, 2021, the receipt of an “Alternative Acquisition Proposal” as defined in the Atlas Merger Agreement and further developments with respect to a previously announced proposal from Chatham Asset Management, LLC. Under the terms of the Atlas Merger Agreement, affiliates of Atlas have agreed to acquire the Company for $8.52 per share in cash. As previously announced, RRD received an unsolicited proposal from Chatham on November 16, 2021 to acquire all of the outstanding shares of RRD not already owned by Chatham for $9.10 per share in cash, and thereafter the Company has been engaged in negotiations with Chatham regarding the terms and conditions of the Chatham Proposal. In addition, on November 27, 2021 and as part of its “go-shop” process, RRD received an Alternative Acquisition Proposal from a strategic party for $10.00 per share in cash, subject to other terms and conditions (the “Go-Shop Proposal”). On November 28, 2021, the Board of Directors of the Company determined, in good faith after consultation with its outside financial advisor and legal counsel, that each of the Chatham Proposal and Go-Shop Proposal would reasonably be expected to lead to a “Superior Proposal” (as defined in the Atlas Merger Agreement), thereby making each of Chatham and such strategic party an “Excluded Party” under the terms of the Atlas Merger Agreement. At this time, the Board has not determined that the Chatham Proposal or the Go-Shop Proposal constitutes a Superior Proposal, and there can be no assurances that a transaction will result from either proposal or that any alternative transaction will be entered into or consummated.

As Peak Mailing and Shipping Season Begins, U.S. Postal Service Performance Is Strong

As the busiest mailing and shipping season begins, the United States Postal Service reported new service delivery performance metrics showing strong service performance for First-Class Mail (91.4 percent) and Marketing Mail (92.4 percent). Service performance for Periodicals continued to trend above 82 percent for the first seven weeks of the fiscal first quarter. First quarter-to-date service performance scores covering the period Oct. 1 through Nov. 19 included: *First-Class Mail: 91.4 percent of First-Class Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, an improvement of 2.6 percentage points from the fourth quarter. *Marketing Mail: 92.4 percent of Marketing Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, consistent with performance from the fourth quarter. *Periodicals: 83.2 percent of Periodicals delivered on time against the USPS service standard, an improvement of .5 percentage points from the fourth quarter.

Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box launches new thermo-laminated film

The Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box Ibi facility in Spain has started the production of bags with a new and more sustainable thermo-laminated metallised film – M-Compact 77. Thanks to the thermo-lamination technology, which bonds individual films together through exposure to heat without using the adhesives that are required for classic lamination, production of M-Compact 77 is more environmentally friendly and resource efficient. Smurfit Kappa has achieved a 12% bag weight reduction and 7% less CO2 emissions.1

Euro-Graph Publishes September 2021 Statistics of the European Graphic Papers Industry

Total European shipments of graphic papers in September 2021 were UP 5.8% vs. September 2020 and are UP 5.1% year-to-date. Total European shipments of newsprint in September 2021 were UP 0.9% vs. September 2020 and are down 3.1% year-to-date. Total European shipments of sc-magazine in September 2021 were down 2.4% vs. September 2020 and are UP 2.4% year-to-date. Total European shipments of coated mechanical reels in September 2021 were UP 3.0% vs. September 2020 and are UP 3.6% year-to-date. Total European shipments of uncoated mechanical (improved & others) in September 2021 were UP 2.0% vs. September 2020 and are UP 5.4% year-to-date. Total European shipments of coated woodfree in September 2021 were UP 19.7% vs. September 2020 and are UP 11.4% year-to-date. Total European shipments of uncoated woodfree in September 2021 were UP 8.6% vs. September 2020 and are UP 10.9% year-to-date.

Mondi launches IQ EXTRALIGHT, a new opaque paper for inserts of medications, leaflets, manuals and legal text applications

Mondi launches IQ EXTRALIGHT. The new opaque paper solution is produced at Mondi Neusiedler, Austria, and targets the uncoated premium segment in opaque paper for inserts of medications and cosmetics, operating manuals, catalogues, directories or legal text application. IQ EXTRALIGHT offers an excellent printability, folding performance and is developed for both web and sheet-fed offset printing. Mondi’s new paper solution is FSC™ certified and optionally available as carbon neutral to support customers in improving their CO2 balance. It is part of Green Range, Mondi´s umbrella trademark for sustainable paper solutions, and produced in compliance with the FSC™ certification scheme as well as with EC regulation 1935/2004 on materials and articles intended to come into contact with food. The new IQ EXTRALIGHT paper is now available in folio and reels in 40, 45, 50 and 60 g/m² across Europe. Thanks to its excellent printability and runnability, IQ EXTRALIGHT offers high productivity print runs. The optimised folding performance of Mondi’s new opaque paper further ensures trouble-free processing due to its excellent folding properties and high stiffness including a high luminescence factor for automatic scanning. These attributes make IQ EXTRALIGHT the ideal solution for clients requiring a high standard in both web and offset printing. The high opacity of IQ EXTRALIGHT guarantees excellent readability, supporting the automated quality control by its outstanding sheet formation.

Sappi invests more than €10 million in Kirkniemi Mill on decarbonisation journey

Sappi has approved an investment in Kirkniemi Mill in Lohja, Finland which enables a switch in its energy sourcing to renewable bioenergy. With this investment the mill’s direct fossil greenhouse gas emissions will reduce by ca. 90 percent, which is equivalent to 230 000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. “By reducing our use of fossil fuels by shifting to renewable energy, Kirkniemi Mill is increasingly part of the solution to climate change. As the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) negotiations underpinned, we collectively need to scale up climate action, and such investments are critical to change our emissions trajectory and dependency on fossil fuels”, explains Mill Director Martti Savelainen. The project, set for completion in early 2023, will contribute significantly to Sappi Europe’s decarbonisation roadmap by exiting coal at one of its last facilities partially using this fuel type. Biomass will then be used in Kirkniemi’s multi-fuel boiler, built in 2015. The move advances Sappi towards its 2025 targets which include reducing specific greenhouse gas emissions (scope 1 and 2) by 25 percent and increasing renewable energy share to 50 percent in Europe compared to 2019.

Nordstrom Reports Third Quarter 2021 Earnings

Nordstrom, Inc. reported third quarter net earnings of $64 million or $0.39 per diluted share, with earnings before interest and taxes ("EBIT") of $127 million. For the third quarter ended October 30, 2021, net sales increased 18 percent versus the same period in fiscal 2020 and decreased 1 percent versus the same period in fiscal 2019. The timing of this year's Anniversary Sale, with approximately one week falling into the third quarter of 2021, had a positive impact of approximately 200 basis points on net sales compared with fiscal 2019.

Gap Inc. Reports Third Quarter Results

GAP INC. reported a third quarter fiscal year 2021 diluted loss per share of $0.40. Excluding fees associated with restructuring the company’s long-term debt and net charges related to strategic changes in its European operating model, adjusted diluted earnings per share were $0.27. Additional information regarding adjusted diluted earnings per share, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, is provided at the end of this press release along with a reconciliation of this measure from the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. The company’s third quarter fiscal year 2021 net sales of $3.9 billion were down 1% compared to 2019 with supply chain disruption driving an estimated 8 percentage point negative impact due to constrained inventory.1 The company remains focused on digital dominance through investing in its ecommerce platform, strategically closing unprofitable stores and partnering to amplify in international markets. Online sales grew 48% compared to the third quarter of 2019 and represented 38% of the total business, even as store traffic continues to rebound. Investments in technology are driving an enhanced online experience as the company accelerates its digital strategy. Third quarter comparable sales were up 5% versus 2019. The comparable sales calculation reflects online sales and comparable sales days in stores that were open.

Huhtamaki appoints Fredrik Davidsson as Executive Vice President, Digital and Process Performance

Fredrik Davidsson (52) has been appointed as Executive Vice President, Digital and Process Performance and a member of the Global Executive Team at Huhtamaki as of June 1, 2022 at the latest. He will report to President and CEO Charles Héaulmé and will be based in Espoo, Finland. Fredrik joins Huhtamaki from Tetra Pak where his latest position has been Vice President Services, Europe & Central Asia. Prior to this he has worked in various leadership roles driving large-scope R&D programs and key change management programs, as well as large European services businesses. Prior to his career at Tetra Pak, Fredrik worked at Sony Ericsson and at the Swedish Armed Forces.

Metsä Board minimises environmental impact of packaging with Dassault Systèmes’ simulation platform

Metsä Board, the leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards and part of Metsä Group, has successfully started to deploy Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform in development and testing of packaging solutions at its Excellence Centre. With packaging simulation Metsä Board can notably speed up packaging development and reduce carbon footprint of packaging. Simulation enables 85% faster development compared to the traditional way of making multiple tests with physical prototypes. Simulation technologies help manage the development of the entire product life cycle, from material selection to delivery. The new technology helps Metsä Board recommend optimal packaging materials as well as packaging structures to its customers.

AAP September StatShot Report: Publishing Industry Up 2.0% for Month, and 12.4% year-to-date

The Association of American Publishers released its StatShot report for September 2021 reflecting reported revenue for all tracked categories, including Trade (Consumer Books), K-12 Instructional Materials, Higher Education Course Materials, and Professional Publishing. Total revenues across all categories for September 2021 were up 2.0% as compared to September 2020, coming in at $1.7 billion. Year to date revenues were up 12.4%, at $11.6 billion for the first nine months of the year. Trade (Consumer Books) sales were up 0.3% in September, coming in at $938.5 million.

Postal Regulatory Commission Vice Chair Temporarily Assumes Administrative Responsibilities of the Agency

The Postal Regulatory Commission today announced that effective immediately, Vice Chairwoman Ashley E. Poling will assume the administrative responsibilities of the agency under 39 CFR 3000.110(b) which states, “…In case of a vacancy in the Office of the Chairman of the Commission, or in the absence or inability of the Chairman to serve, the Vice Chairman, unless otherwise directed by the Chairman, shall have the administrative responsibilities and duties of the Chairman during the period of vacancy, absence, or inability.” Michael M. Kubayanda’s term as Commissioner expired 1 year ago, on November 22, 2020. A Commissioner may continue to serve after the expiration of his or her term until a successor is confirmed, except that a Commissioner may not continue to serve for more than 1 year after the date of expiration, a period commonly known as the “holdover year.” President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. designated Commissioner Kubayanda Chairman of the Commission in January 2021, and he continued to serve in that position until his holdover year ended on November 22, 2021. He is awaiting confirmation by the U.S. Senate after being re-nominated by President Biden.

ATA Truck Tonnage Index Increased 0.4% in October

November 24, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Misc

American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased 0.4% in October after rising 2.2% in September. In October, the index equaled 113 (2015=100) compared with 112.6 in September. “October’s gain was the third straight totaling 2.9%,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “The combination of solid retail sales, inventory rebuilding, and generally higher factory output offset some areas of softer freight growth, like home construction, in October. “Economic growth remains on solid footing, which is good for truck freight volumes going forward. The largest problem for the industry isn’t the amount of demand, but making sure we have adequate supply. It is good to see that fleets were able to haul more tonnage in recent months in the face of constrained supply,” he said. September’s reading was revised down slightly to 2.2% from our October 19 press release.

Aptar joins Nextloopp with the Goal of Creating a Circular Pathway for Recycled Poly-propylene

As the result of a successful Challenge Brief presentation at the 2021 Aptar Global Supplier Summit, we are excited to announce that Aptar has joined Nextloopp. Nextloopp is a multimember project that is comprised of a diverse group of companies with the common goal of creating a circular pathway for post-consumer Polypropylene (PP) packaging. Aptar will help play a key role in validating the use of this technology, which includes proprietary decontamination and marking technology developed by Nextek. Participation in the project gives Aptar access to early production materials from Nextloopp pilot facilities that can be tested using Aptar’s resin validation control process. These materials have the potential to obtain food-grade approval in addition to inert grades that could be used for cosmetic applications. Aptar will also be able to influence the development of specific types of material that are relevant to our key customers as well as support dossier preparation to regulatory agencies. Delivery of pilot material is scheduled before the end of 2021 and the project will last until October 2022.

Paper Excellence Warns of Potential Delivery Interruptions for Customers

Paper Excellence today warned that its customers may see pulp and paper delivery delays due to ongoing supply chain disruption in North America and particularly British Columbia. Over the past three months, global supply chains, ports and carriers have been impacted by disruptions related to the pandemic such as labour availability, lack of shipping containers, delayed carriers and significant port congestion. These backlogs have impacted the company’s ability to get finished products shipped in a timely manner. The atmospheric river weather system that hit British Columbia on Sunday, November 14 was a significant event that caused widespread damage. Although none of Paper Excellence’s facilities were directly impacted, there has been material damage to British Columbia’s infrastructure; particularly its roadways and railways. Closure of the TransCanada Highway, Highway 3 and Highway 5 in addition to the closure of the CP and CN rail lines has further impacted outbound product shipments as the company relies on both truck and rail transportation to move goods. The company also anticipates potential production interruptions over the next four weeks related to forest fibre and other goods shortages received at its British Columbian mills. The situation will be monitored closely in our decision to restart the Crofton facility from its current two week production curtailment.

Better recycling properties for Stora Enso’s low-carbon Trayforma range for ready meals

Stora Enso continues to develop the Trayforma range further and introduces a new solution for conventionally heated food packaging applications, featuring less than 10% PET plastic. Trayforma is a wood fibre-based material for ready meals packaging, enabling brand owners and retailers to switch from fully fossil-based materials to renewables. The new Trayforma PET34 material continues to offer core properties such as food protection and heat resistance but has a significantly reduced amount of fossil-based barrier materials. When heating food in conventional oven, board materials need a PET coating to provide heat resistance and protect food. Meeting the threshold of 10% PET plastic will be an important step in producing trays made of Trayforma a better fit for fiber-based packaging recycling streams, and for achieving recyclable labelling in markets such as the UK. “We believe Trayforma products will have many future applications because they are low-carbon and help brand owners reduce their carbon footprint and use of fossil-materials, offering these benefits to consumers. Thanks to its renewable origin in wood fiber and its optimised barrier options, Trayforma range offers the right performance and several alternatives for the ready meals category, now also better fit for recycling,” says Tuomas Puonti, VP, Head of Business Line LPB Fresh & FSB from Stora Enso.

UPM Raflatac announces further progress towards the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and UNEP’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment

UPM Raflatac announces great progress toward a more circular economy for plastics and a future beyond fossils. This progress is detailed in the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment 2021 Progress Report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). As highlighted in the report, UPM Raflatac has continued to develop its SmartChoice™ and SmartCircle™ product ranges and increased the sales volumes of these products. SmartChoice label materials are designed to reduce material usage and promote the use of recycled content and renewable materials. SmartCircle label materials support packaging recyclability and reuse and so promote the circular economy. Reducing unnecessary plastic packaging is a priority for UPM Raflatac, and through raw material optimization, it has reduced more than 450 tonnes of plastic film raw materials. UPM Raflatac has signature products, e.g., PP Lite, that have a strong reduce element, but it is also applying the reduced principle to its standard films. In addition, the company supports the switch to renewable materials by enlarging and promoting its RAFNXT+ product range, as well as bio-based plastic product range.

URBN Reports Record Sales; Record Profits

Urban Outfitters, Inc. announced net income of $89 million and record third quarter earnings per diluted share of $0.89 for the three months ended October 31, 2021. For the nine months ended October 31, 2021, net income was $270 million and record first nine-month period earnings per diluted share were $2.71. Total Company net sales for the three months ended October 31, 2021, were a record $1.13 billion. Net sales increased 14.6% compared to the three months ended October 31, 2019. Comparable Retail segment net sales increased 14%, driven by strong double-digit growth in digital channel sales, partially offset by mid-single-digit negative retail store sales primarily due to reduced store traffic. By brand, comparable Retail segment net sales increased 55% at the Free People Group, 9% at the Anthropologie Group and 7% at Urban Outfitters. Total Retail segment net sales increased 16%. Wholesale segment net sales decreased 15% primarily from reducing the Free People Group’s sales to promotional wholesale custom ers. For the nine months ended October 31, 2021, total Company net sales increased 14.3% compared to the nine months ended October 31, 2019. Comparable Retail segment net sales increased 16%, driven by strong double-digit growth in digital channel sales, partially offset by low double-digit negative retail store sales due to reduced store traffic resulting from temporary store closures and occupancy restrictions in Europe and Canada. Wholesale segment net sales decreased 23% primarily from reducing the Free People Group’s sales to promotional wholesale customers.

Best Buy Reports Better-Than-Expected Third Quarter Results

Domestic revenue of $10.99 billion increased 1.2% versus last year. The increase was primarily driven by comparable sales growth of 2.0%, which was partially offset by the loss of revenue from permanent store closures in the past year. Domestic GAAP SG&A was $1.96 billion, or 17.9% of revenue, versus $1.95 billion, or 18.0% of revenue, last year. International revenue of $925 million decreased 7.8% versus last year. This decrease was primarily driven by the loss of revenue from exiting Mexico and a comparable sales decline of 3.0% in Canada. These items were partially offset by the benefit of approximately 450 basis points of favorable foreign currency exchange rates. International GAAP gross profit rate was 25.0% versus 19.0% last year. On a non-GAAP basis, the gross profit rate was 25.0% versus 22.6% last year.

UPM continues to aim for business-specific collective bargaining with the Paperworkers’ Union

UPM continues to aim for business-specific collective bargaining with the Paperworkers’ Union but has also begun preparations for arranging working conditions temporarily without a collective labour agreement until agreements with the union are signed. During this week UPM communicates the temporary terms of work to employees of businesses where the contractual party is the Paperworkers’ Union. The current collective agreements between the Paperworkers’ Union and The Finnish Forest Industries Federation will end on 31 December 2021. After termination, the current agreement has no binding effect as the parties of the agreement change. The time for negotiation is running out, so UPM must prepare for a situation where no agreement is in place. “To ensure business continuity and payroll, we will prepare to arrange working conditions after the turn of the year according to labour law, UPM practices and personal employment contracts. With business-specific collective bargaining, we can offer better terms for everyone than without an agreement. Entering the negotiations with the Paperworkers’ Union is still our goal”, says Executive Vice President Riitta Savonlahti of UPM Human Resources.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Reports Third Quarter Results

A summary of results for the third quarter ended October 30, 2021 as compared to the third quarter ended October 31, 2020: *Net sales of $905 million, up 10% as compared to last year and up 5% as compared to pre-COVID 2019 third quarter net sales. *Digital net sales of $413 million increased 8% as compared to last year and increased 55% as compared to pre-COVID 2019 third quarter digital net sales. *Gross profit rate of 63.7%, down approximately 30 basis points as compared to last year and up approximately 360 basis points as compared to 2019. The year-over-year decline is driven by approximately 300 basis points of higher average unit cost from freight inflation and efforts to offset supply chain issues, almost fully offset by higher average unit retail on lower promotions. *Operating income of $73 million and $79 million on a reported and adjusted non-GAAP basis, respectively, as compared to operating income of $59 million and $65 million last year, on a reported and adjusted non-GAAP basis, respectively.

HH Global features in Deloitte’s Goal13 Impact Platform Report

As the COP26 summit in Glasgow reached its conclusion, our steadfast commitment towards ensuring sustainability remains at the forefront of our business growth here at HH Global has only strengthened. We are proud to have recently been featured in Deloittes’ Goal 13 Impact Platform Report; a summary of interviews from executive voices and key stakeholders in the market. Having interviewed over 250 companies to date, in sectors from finance to procurement, Deloitte has created a comprehensive summary of how cross-sector collaboration can be harnessed to create the most impactful climate change initiatives. The Goal 13 Impact Platform Report was used throughout the COP26 summit to inform and empower important conversations around businesses’ climate journeys; examining what it takes to make climate programmes successful. It was mentioned at numerous high-profile COP26 events including the CBI business dinner and Hustings.

KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd. Acquires Kaufman Wills Fusting & Company

November 23, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Printer News

CJK Group, Inc. announced that it has acquired publishing consultancy and editorial services provider, Kaufman Wills Fusting & Company (KWF) and integrated it with its existing, comprehensive content solutions subsidiary, KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd. (KGL). Based in Baltimore, MD, and employing 99 people, KWF Consulting and sister company KWF Editorial are leading providers of management consulting support and professional editorial services to the scholarly publishing community. KWF Consulting advises clients on strategic planning, new product development, market research, and RFP negotiations. KWF Editorial provides professional staffing solutions for journal editorial office management, peer review services, and editor support.

Flint Group Flexible Packaging launches new range of chlorine-free heat sealable coatings in Europe.

Leading print consumables provider to the global packaging industry, Flint Group Packaging Inks has revealed its new range of chlorine-free heat sealable coatings under the NexisCode brand name. Launched in support of its overall sustainability vision of ‘supporting packaging markets with responsibly built products and sustainable solutions designed for circular economies’, the new portfolio is designed for a wide range of film, paper and aluminium packaging applications and is based on a number of binder technologies ensuring suitability no matter what substrate is used. The chlorine-free heat sealable coating range meets all technical and regulatory requirements and provides a solution for the latest mono-material packaging structures designed for today’s recycling infrastructure. Stephen Butler, Product Manager for Flint Group Flexible Packaging in Europe, said: “Many brands and corporations are seeking to eliminate polyvinyl chloride from their packaging due to concerns about its impact on the recyclability of packs, as well as the environment. When PVC is mechanically recycled in today’s typical recycling stream, the high processing temperature can cause degradation of the resin into smaller chlorinated components, which can impact the quality of the resulting recyclate.

IWCO Direct Chooses Fleet of Seven HP PageWide Inkjet Web Presses to Accelerate Direct Marketing (piworld.com)

November 23, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Printer News

HP Inc. and IWCO Direct announced a strategic agreement for the supply of a fleet of HP PageWide Web Presses to drive the market for data-driven marketing communications solutions. The multi-million-dollar investment by IWCO Direct in seven high-volume HP PageWide Web Presses is the cornerstone of a $50 million investment being made by the company to continue to grow their performance marketing business using primarily HP digital printing by 2023. The presses deliver next-level inkjet color quality and speed for a wide range of direct mail applications across a broad range of substrates such as letters, postcards, catalogs, and folded mailers. “The HP technology upgrades our data-driven performance marketing services to maximize the return on marketing investment (ROMI) for our clients, which is critical in today’s climate. Our clients value the effectiveness of direct mail, but want to produce it faster and integrate it with companion channels, so they can reach their recipients more quickly with personalized, relevant messages,” said John Ashe, CEO of IWCO Direct.

Mondi honoured with Hungaropack award for sustainable paper-based FlexiBag

Mondi has taken home a Hungaropack award for its sustainable paper-based FlexiBag at this year’s contest organised by the Hungarian Association of Packaging and Materials Handling. Mondi’s FlexiBag is made from renewable paper resources and enhanced with a functional plastic barrier ensuring premium product protection. The packaging impressed the jury with its potential to minimise plastic waste across numerous industries and sectors, most notably for dry perishable goods. In addition, the paper-based FlexiBag was recognised for its high-quality flexoprinting quality, which offers brands great shelf appeal. "We are honoured that this award acknowledges Mondi’s drive to deliver packaging that is sustainable by design. It is a testament to our EcoSolutions approach that puts our customers’ unique needs and environmental objectives at the heart of every project. Our paper-based FlexiBag is a direct result of this and a great example of impactful innovation as its adoption contributes to a better world." Sandor Kardos, Managing Director Mondi Békéscsaba

Kamloops pulp mill must be sold to third party as part of Domtar/Paper Excellence merger (kamloopsthisweek.com)

While the merger of Domtar and Paper Excellence has been approved by the Competition Bureau of Canada, part of the approval means the Kamloops pulp mill must be sold to a third party. On May 11, 2021, Paper Excellence and Domtar, based on Montreal and Fort Mill, S.C., entered reached an agreement for Richmond-based Paper Excellence to purchase Domtar for $55.50 per share, a deal worth about $3 billion in United States currency. The merger agreement had a provision that limited the obligation to divest assets to no greater than 410,000 dried metric tons of softwood kraft pulp. The Domtar pulp mill in kamloops has 408,000 tons of production and is the company’s only kraft pulp mill in B.C. that is part of the deal. The Competition Bureau of Canada has concluded that the merger would likely lessen competition substantially for the purchase of wood fibre — a key input in the manufacture of pulp — from the Thompson/Okanagan region.

Fit for purpose food packaging is essential to enable a sustainable society

The carbon footprint of food is approximately 30 times higher than that of its packaging. So, preventing food waste by protecting food with the right packaging is a crucial step towards a sustainable society. “As a Frenchman, food is definitely part of my heritage. At the same time, as I have experienced living in many and diverse countries, I have seen the importance of making food safe and available everywhere across the world,” says Charles Héaulmé, President and CEO of Huhtamaki. Food packaging is essential. It promotes hygiene. It secures food safety. Furthermore, the pandemic serves as a reminder of the importance of reducing cross contamination and enabling food availability – affordably and at low emissions. Food packaging also helps prevent food waste, which accounts for 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. As the carbon footprint of packaged food is approximately 30 times higher than that of its packaging, having the right packaging for each food system pays off from a climate protection perspective.

Paper Excellence Donates $50,000 to Saskatchewan Polytechnic for Scholarship Program

Paper Excellence announced today that it is donating $50,000 to Saskatchewan Polytechnic to create a Paper Excellence student awards scholarship program. The scholarship awards will be distributed over the next five years with $2,500 available to each of four students each year. The awards are meant to encourage and recognize Saskatchewan youth with high academic achievement and financial need. They will be available to students enrolled in programs related to the operation of a pulp mill such as engineering, industrial mechanics, innovative manufacturing or welding. “As we continue to grow our footprint in Saskatchewan, we know it’s important to invest in the community,” said Carlo Dal Monte, Vice President, Energy and Business Development. “Investing in young people in Saskatchewan and supporting the development of the local workforce made sense from our end. With Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s excellent programs, many campuses around Saskatchewan, and stellar track record of developing the province’s workforce, we’re thrilled to be making this contribution.”

Natural, sustainable, and safely packaged – with FlexPaper pure

Felix Schoeller Group expands packaging product portfolio: Environmentally friendly packaging solution made of 95% paper – suitable for disposal with waste paper The Felix Schoeller Group of Osnabrück, Germany, has expanded its packaging product portfolio – with great success. An international audience of industry professionals got their first glimpse of the varied new range at the Fachpack trade fair in Nuremberg at the end of September.One of the highlights was the innovative FlexPaper pure, which is made using an extrusion lamination process and renewable, FSC-certified pulp from sustainable forestry. FlexPaper pure packaging is an eye-catcher at every point of sale thanks to the outstanding properties of the specialty paper, which lead to optimum flexographic and gravure printing results. But that’s not the only reason it is already causing such a stir – thanks its high total paper content of 95 percent, Felix Schoeller’s new packaging solution can be disposed of easily with the waste paper once it has been used. This has been confirmed in an independent packaging analysis using the “Made for Recycling” test method, which concluded that FlexPaper “recycles well”.

Tronox Receives Platinum Rating from EcoVadis for Sustainability Performance

Tronox Holdings plc has received a Platinum Rating by EcoVadis in recognition of its sustainability efforts. The Platinum Rating puts Tronox in the top one percent of companies evaluated and represents a significant improvement over its Silver Rating in 2019 and 2020. The step change in Tronox’s 2021 EcoVadis rating reflects how deeply embedded sustainability and corporate social responsibility have become in its business practices and the advancements Tronox has made in its public disclosure on these topics. The EcoVadis assessment focuses on four themes: the environment, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. Tronox achieved a 10-point increase in all categories, and a 20-point increase in the environmental category. “In the past 18 months, we have taken a number of significant steps that demonstrate our commitment to sustainability, including publicly announcing our plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental targets, aligning with Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and Sustainable Accounting Standards Board (SASB) reporting, becoming a member of the UN Global Compact, and creating and implementing new compliance and environmental policies,” said Melissa Zona, Tronox’s Senior Vice President, External Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer. “This accomplishment also reflects the importance of sustainability to our employees, who remain focused on operating our business responsibly for our customers, communities and future generations.”

Domtar, Paper Excellence Merger Receives Canadian Competition Bureau Approval

Paper Excellence B.V. and Domtar Corporation jointly announced that they have received Canadian Competition Act approval for their business combination whereby Karta Halten B.V., an affiliate of Paper Excellence, will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Domtar common stock for $55.50 per share in cash pursuant to an agreement and plan of merger dated May 10, 2021. The consent agreement filed by the Canadian Commissioner of Competition with the Competition Tribunal today fulfills the final condition to the closing of the Merger. The consent agreement requires that, following the closing of the Merger, Domtar’s pulp mill in Kamloops, British Columbia be sold to resolve the Commissioner’s concerns about the Merger’s implications on the purchase of wood fibre from the Thompson/Okanagan region in British Columbia. The transaction remains on course to close in the fourth quarter of this year.

First-Class Mail Service Performance Shows Further Improvement as U.S. Postal Service Prepares for the Busy Holiday Season

As the Postal Service enters the busiest weeks of the year for mailing and shipping, the agency reported new service delivery performance scores that showed improvements for First-Class Mail and Periodicals, and steady performance for Marketing Mail for the first six weeks of the fiscal first quarter. First quarter-to-date service performance scores covering the period Oct. 1 through Nov. 12 included: *First-Class Mail: 91.1 percent of First-Class Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, an improvement of 2.6 percentage points from the fourth quarter. *Marketing Mail: 92.4 percent of Marketing Mail delivered on time against the USPS service standard, consistent with performance from the fourth quarter. *Periodicals: 83.2 percent of Periodicals delivered on time against the USPS service standard, an improvement of .5 percentage points from the fourth quarter.

Millions of Phones, Tablets and Other Devices Face Extinction as 3G Networks Soon Go Dark (keepmepostedna.org)

Staying connected in the digital world relies more and more on having the latest and greatest devices at your disposal. Consumers who do not, or cannot afford to keep up with the most current technology, are increasingly finding themselves left as roadkill on the digital superhighway. Phones, tablets, computers and other connected devices have shorter and shorter lifespans, and the factors conspiring to render them obsolete are numerous. The latest killer stalking millions of devices more than a few years old is the termination of 3G cellular networks, which is set to begin in January 2022. One of the growing pains to get to faster, better 5G networks deployed nationwide involves the major carriers – AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon – decommissioning their older networks in order to repurpose critical spectrum. The sunsetting of 3G will start happening early in the new year, with each company operating on its own schedules, which will also impact smaller carriers that rely on their networks.

OSHA suspends enforcement of vaccine mandate for large businesses (chainstoreage.com)

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it is suspending enforcement of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large private businesses “pending future developments.” The move comes after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit temporarily halted the rule, saying that that it “grossly exceeds” the authority of the agency that issued it.” "The court ordered that OSHA 'take no steps to implement or enforce' the ETS [Emergency Temporary Standard] 'until further court order.' While OSHA remains confident in its authority to protect workers in emergencies, OSHA has suspended activities related to the implementation and enforcement of the ETS pending future developments in the litigation,” OSHA stated.

HarperCollins Publishers Commits to Becoming Carbon Neutral in Direct Emissions in 2022

HarperCollins Publishers announced a global commitment to becoming carbon neutral for its direct operational emissions in 2022. In order to meet this goal, HarperCollins has appointed award-winning sustainability strategy consultancy Brite Green to develop and implement effective sustainability strategies and targets. HarperCollins will initially focus on Scope 1 and 2 emissions, targeting on-site electricity and fuel energy usage. As part of the News Corp Global Environmental Initiative, HarperCollins is also working toward a goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions across its operational and supply chain by 2050 or earlier, in line with the Paris Agreement. “As a leading global publishing company, we have a responsibility to mitigate the impact of our business on the environment and to identify ways to improve the sustainability of our industry,” said Brian Murray, President and CEO, HarperCollins Publishers. “We have been successfully reducing our emissions and becoming carbon neutral in Scopes 1 and 2 is the next step in the process. We will continue to work toward our long-term targets and seek to reduce carbon emissions and their associated costs from our business overall.”

House Democrats Reintroduce Sweeping Ad-Targeting Restrictions (mediapost.com)

Two House Democrats have reintroduced a sweeping privacy bill that would impose broad restrictions on companies' ability to use online data for ad targeting. The 143-page Online Privacy Act, introduced by California Reps. Anna Eshoo and Zoe Lofgren, would require that companies obtain consumers' explicit consent before collecting or drawing on their “personal information” in order to serve them with targeted ads, or to personalize content. The bill authors define personal information broadly enough to cover the type of data typically used for ad targeting. The definition includes de-identified data, as well as data that is reasonably linkable to a device or individual. One of the bill's many provisions would give consumers the right to access, edit and delete data about themselves.

Slovakian forest certification system submitted for assessment

The Slovak Forest Certification Scheme has been submitted to PEFC for assessment. The public consultation, which is your chance to give your feedback on this revised system, will run from 29 November to 27 January 2022. PEFC Slovakia revised the country’s national forest certification system following the entry into force of the revised 2018 PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard. To provide you with additional information, we are holding a webinar on 29 November, at 10:00 CET. The webinar is free to attend, and everyone is welcome.

Sonoco Expands Focus on Sustainable Packaging, Adding Recyclable Molded Fiber Packaging for Frozen and Refrigerated Meals

Sonoco in partnership with Tellus Products, LLC, a company that produces USA grown and made, plant-based compostable packaging for foodservice products, today announced the receipt of a prequalified label, Check Locally for recyclability from How2Recycle for the Natrellis line of food packaging. Natrellis, a dual-ovenable package made with upcycled sugarcane fiber and other U.S. grown plant fibers features a highly engineered surface that delivers outstanding performance through the product’s full lifecycle, providing consumers a great product experience. This performance helps maintain the package strength during all phases of use, preventing loss of food moisture and eliminating wicking through the package to outside surfaces. Sonoco also provides custom rigid lidding and flexible lidding for these market solutions. The flexible lidding is customized for strong heat-seals around the perimeter of the fiber tray lip, preventing leakage prior to freezing and freezer burn while maintaining adhesion during cooking and easy to peel consumer use. The rigid lid is developed to include a click audible sound, ensuring the product is sealed tight for transportation but easy for consumer use.

Aptar Tops the Forbes Green Growth 50 List

Aptar announced that it has been ranked #1 on Forbes’ Green Growth 50 2021 inaugural list. As part of the Green Growth 50, Forbes is highlighting large American corporations that have managed to cut their greenhouse gas emissions, while simultaneously growing earnings. “We are honored to be recognized with the #1 spot on the Green Growth 50 list by Forbes. This is a tremendous recognition of our progress to both drive earnings growth and become a more sustainable, diverse and inclusive company that is focused on furthering a circular economy. In fact, it is these very efforts that help grow our business.” said Stephan B. Tanda, Aptar’s President and CEO. “We look at everything we do through a sustainability lens because our patients, customers and consumers are actively seeking more sustainable solutions.”

American Veterinary Medical Association Journals Launch on KGL PubFactory

November 19, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Printer News

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has launched a new portal on KGL PubFactory, a division of KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd. (KGL), for its two influential peer-reviewed journals, the flagship Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) as well as the American Journal of Veterinary Research (AJVR). The result of a rapid, six-month migration that included the conversion of over 13,000 archive articles dating back to 2000, the new site at avmajournals.avma.org supports single-sign-on for Association members, and ecommerce through AVMA’s webshop via integration with the Aptify membership management platform. In addition to online hosting, AVMA is now using KGL content services for automated copyediting, composition, and electronic deliverables; and sister-company Sheridan for printing of the two journals.

Worzalla’s Jim Fetherston Honored with Book Manufacturers’ Institute Signature Award

November 19, 2021
Midland Paper Clips
Printer News

Worzalla CEO and President Jim Fetherston was awarded the Signature Award at the Book Manufacturers’ Institute’s Fall Annual Conference. The Book Manufacturers’ Institute (BMI), a nationally recognized trade association representing the book manufacturing industry, created the Signature Award to recognize BMI members who have made a valued contribution to the welfare of the industry through the display of superior leadership qualities. The Signature Award, awarded only when the BMI board of directors identifies worthy candidates, has just 44 recipients in BMI’s 90-year history. “While there have been ups and downs for U.S. book printers during the last few decades, we have all learned one truth: the printed book is not dead and, in fact, is thriving,” said Fetherston. “It has been a privilege to help lead our industry to the fruitful landscape that we are experiencing today. I humbly accept the Book Manufacturers’ Institute’s Signature Award on behalf of all our industry partners who trust us to get the job done and the many people on the ground responsible for making each and every book that we are sending to bookshelves, libraries, schools, and homes across the country.”