Norske Skog announces sale of the Tasman mill industrial site

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) today released the 64th Paper Industry Annual Capacity and Fiber Consumption Survey. The report provides detailed data on U.S. paper industry capacity and production compiled by the AF&PA statistics team. U.S. paper and paperboard capacity declined by 1.6% in 2023, to 79.7 million tons. That compares to an average decline of 0.9% per year since 2014. U.S. paper and paperboard production declined 7.2% last year, with declines in all categories except tissue.

Recently, there has been an increase in contradictory information being spread about the recyclability of Blue4est® checkout receipts. Whereas the German Environment Agency states it is fully recyclable, according to the association INGEDE (International Research Community for De-Inking Technology) blue checkout receipts can cause problems when disposed of as wastepaper, even in small quantities. This statement is inaccurate, and is causing confusion among consumers. The first sustainable and recyclable thermal paper Blue4est® – also known as the blue receipt or eco-receipt – was launched onto the market in 2015. Now, a host of customers across Europe are using these sustainable checkout receipts. The innovative technology has since been refined, with the introduction of Blue4est® Pro paper for labels in 2022. Blue4est® is produced entirely without chemical developers, which is why the German Environment Agency recommends disposing of it as wastepaper. This allows the paper to be recycled and reused as a new raw material. Some time ago, the German Environment Agency officially confirmed – including via an announcement on its website – that blue checkout receipts can be disposed of as wastepaper.

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.