Alsip, Illinois, USA 27 January 2016 -- The former FutureMark Alsip mill, which was idled in 2014 and later sold, has begun production, according to sources.

The mill was sold for $8.2 million last January to Paper Mill Acquisition LLC, the winner at an auction, and the facility has been converted to recycled containerboard production. The facility is now managed be Alsip Minimill LLC.

Before it closed, Alsip was the only facility in North America making coated publication and printing papers predominantly from recycled materials. At the time, Stephen L. Silver, CEO of Alsip, said, "This is an extremely difficult decision for us given the exceptional achievements of the Alsip mill in producing coated papers with unmatched levels of recycled content and the dedicated work of all of our employees. We explored many options to avoid this action, but the brutal reality for all coated paper manufacturers today is that falling demand and pricing pressure from lower-quality uncoated substitutes has driven prices to near historic lows. Combined with massive increases in energy costs over the winter, this pricing pressure has made it impossible for us to continue our Alsip operations at this time."