Sonoco Announces Price Increase for Paperboard Tubes and Cores

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company (RRD), a leading global provider of marketing, packaging, print, and supply chain solutions, highlights the impact of continued eCommerce growth based on its 2023 (Un)Packaging Reality Report. Sixty percent of RRD’s survey respondents reported continued upticks in eCommerce orders through 2022, and of those, 62% said they are working to level-set expectations for inventory due to over-corrections on COVID-19-related shortages. Findings also suggest brands are giving similar attention to packaging design for online and in-person retail. Survey respondents represented packaging and labels decision-makers from a wide range of different product categories. The top categories seeing upticks in eCommerce orders were center aisle food brands (77%), personal care and cosmetics brands (72%) and household products (68%). Across all categories, 92% of affected respondents reported an increase in packaging needs and 86% saw an increase in labeling needs over the past year. However, respondents from the appliances and durable goods category seemed uniquely impacted. While 64% of packaging and label decision-makers in this category reported a rise in eCommerce orders, 98% reported increased packaging needs tied to eCommerce activity.

The Regional State Administrative Agency for Western and Inland Finland has given public notice of the environmental permit application filed for the Kaskinen paperboard mill of Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, on 6 October 2023 The permit applications will be available for public statements and comments for 37 days at https://ylupa.avi.fi/fi-FI The mill project’s environmental impact assessment process ended on 22 September 2023 when the South Ostrobothnia Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment issued its reasoned conclusion. Metsä Board initiated pre-engineering for the new paperboard mill in Kaskinen in the autumn of 2022. Planning is based on fossil free production and world-class resource, production and environmental efficiency. Metsä Board estimates that any investment decision will be made in 2024 at the earliest.

Sole Source Capital LLC, an industrial-focused private equity firm, announced that its portfolio company, Dallas Plastics, a leading manufacturer of blown polyethylene film with printing, embossing, and other value-added capabilities for the medical, food, and industrial end markets, has acquired Emballage MPP, Inc. (“MPP”). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, MPP manufactures a diversified range of polyethylene-based blown film products, selling primarily to defensive end markets including medical, food packaging, and logistics. MPP’s location gives Dallas Plastics a foothold in Canada, significantly expanding the company’s addressable geographic market. The increased scale and geography enhances Dallas Plastics’ customer base and strengthens its leadership position in the production and distribution of high-performance specialty films used in flexible packaging.