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We are updating this list as these happen in the pulp, paper and forest products industry

The PM40 closed Friday, 3 January 2025, at 5862.

Get the latest PM40 updates by listening to the weekly Nips show and the PM40 Daily Show on Pulp & Paper Radio International.

The PM40 closed 3 January 2025 up 8.7% from the 5 January 2024 level.

In this issue of Disconnected Comparisons, we evaluate Rayonier and Boise Cascade.

Reported insider trading since the last issue of PaperMoney.

As I start my 52nd year in the pulp and paper industry, I will have to say it is overall in the best condition that it has been in my lifetime. If your viewpoint is narrow and you focus only on fine papers and newsprint, you will likely disagree with me.

Chilean forestry group Celulosa Arauco y Constitución S.A. (Arauco) will invest $4.6 billion in building a bleached eucalyptus market pulp mill in Brazil.

Anu Salonsaari-Posti, SVP Marketing, Communications, Sustainability and Corporate Relations and a member of Valmet's Executive Team since 2013, leaves Valmet and continues her career outside the company.

The delivery will take place during the mill's annual shutdown in the third quarter of 2025.

Valmet has received the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS for its paper machine clothing production unit in Tampere, Finland. With the certification, Valmet can introduce new bio-based raw materials in its fabrics used in pulp, board, paper, and tissue production./span>

APRIL Group recently won the 2024 Upakarti Award through its operating arm Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP). The award recognises the company's contribution to empowering local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) around its operations in Pangkalan Kerinci, Riau.

For the third year in a row, MSCI awarded Huhtamaki an 'A' (on a scale of AAA-CCC) in its annual assessment. Maintaining our rating is fundamentally important for us and reflects our top-of-industry governance practices as well as our continuous work to produce more sustainable packaging through e.g. using renewable energy sources

Lecta is pleased to announce that its Leitza mill in Spain has obtained FSSC 22000 food safety systems certification for its metallized papers for packaging applications in the food industry.

Year in giving reflects continued commitment to housing initiatives, environmental stewardship, and workforce development.

This strategic alliance underscores Sonoco's commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility, aligning with PSC's mission to advance sustainability in the global pet industry.

Norwegian company Wilfa and sustainable materials company Stora Enso have developed a wood-based packaging solution for the ProBaker kitchen mixer.

Tetra Pak has received the 'Resource Efficiency' Award at the Sustainable Packaging News Awards 2024, for its paper-based barrier material innovation. The awards recognise the most innovative advancements in sustainable packaging over the past year.

Essity has received information that a minority of investors, in some of its Luxembourg-listed bond series, have initiated proceedings in English court.

Felix Schoeller increases price for its digital media products as of 1st January 2025.

Metsäliitto Cooperative has signed a new EUR 200 million sustainability-linked revolving credit facility with a syndicate of eight banks. This new credit facility refinances the existing EUR 200 million facility signed in December 2018 and will be used for general corporate purposes. The facility has a tenor of five years and includes two one-year extension options.

Rottneros has entered into a new loan agreement with Danske Bank and Svensk Exportkredit whereby the existing long-term facilities will be refinanced. The new facilities amount to a total of 550 MSEK divided into term loan facilities of 400 MSEK in total and a revolving credit facility of up to 150 MSEK.

If the Order Sought is granted by the AMF, Smurfit Westrock will cease to be a reporting issuer in the Canadian Jurisdictions and, as a result, will no longer be subject to continuous disclosure requirements under Canadian securities legislation.

The Notes were offered in a private placement and there was no public offering of the Notes.

Arctic Paper subsidiaries, Arctic Paper Grycksbo AB and Arctic Paper Munkedal AB, have terminated their agreements with S.E.R. Sverige AB regarding the installation and grid connection of battery energy storage systems, the company announced. Arctic Paper now plans to continue the project with a new partner.

Stora Enso violated the collective labour agreement when it dismissed employees in 2021, according to Finland's Labour Court.

The investment totaled close to $34 million and funded new equipment to modernize the plant's operations.

The upgrades included a new rooftop cyclone, a new corrugator and a state-of-the-art specialty gluer. This new equipment gives the plant improved efficiency, the ability to run digital print, and the capability to handle harder-to-run business.

The new plant is anticipated to generate approximately 125 jobs when operating at full capacity, offering positions from production line workers to management.

Mondi has made good progress on the previously announced €20 million investment programme at its Neusiedler uncoated fine paper mills (Austria). The full benefit of the upgrades is expected from the first quarter of 2025, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions and increased energy efficiency and operational safety.

The Södra Foundation for Research, Development and Education has granted a total of SEK 12.5 million this year to 11 different research projects that, in a significant way, will promote the development of both forestry and forest industry operations.

Amcor completed the sale of its 50% interest in Bericap North America (BCNA) for $122 million on December 27, with the proceeds used to reduce debt.

Strategic Value Partners, through Coniferous Bidco, controls 82.84 percent of the capital and votes in the paper mill company Nordic Paper. This is announced in connection with the expiration of the extended acceptance period. The bidder is now giving shareholders another opportunity to accept the offer by extending the acceptance period one last time until January 8, according to a press release.

The European Commission had been scrutinizing the proposed merger due to concerns that it might reduce competition in the market.

Mayr-Melnhof Karton AG (MM) has agreed with Evergreen Hill Enterprise, Pte. Ltd., part of an Indonesian-based privately held group of diversified companies, on the sale of 100 % of the shares in TANN Group, headquartered in Traun, Austria, for a cash and debt-free enterprise value of EUR 360 million.

Sonoco Products Company, a global leader in high-value sustainable packaging, announced it has entered into an agreement to sell its Thermoformed and Flexibles Packaging business ("TFP") to TOPPAN Holdings Inc. for approximately $1.8 billion on a cash-free and debt-free basis and subject to customary adjustments.

Suzano clarifies that no agreements have been reached or documents signed regarding this potential acquisition, and there have been no significant fluctuations in its securities./span>

Under the terms of the APA, Domtar (formerly Paper Excellence) will return the lands to Tla'amin for its use. Tla'amin will assume responsibility for carrying costs such as maintenance, taxes and insurance upon taking ownership.

Veritiv Operating Company, a leader in specialty packaging distribution, announced that it has acquired Arjay Company, including substantially all assets of PPE Sales, LLC, a distributor of packaging solutions and equipment serving customers in Long Island and the Greater Metropolitan New York area. The transaction represents the fifth acquisition of 2024 for Veritiv under the leadership of Sal Abbate, Veritiv's Chief Executive Officer.

Office equipment manufacturer Xerox has agreed to buy Chinese-owned printer and printing software maker Lexmark International in a $1.5 billion deal to expand its presence in Asian markets and better compete in an industry upended by the digital age.

It was the largest known blastomycosis outbreak in the United States.

Using the IFS solution, GBP will improve asset reliability by obtaining clearer visibility into asset availability, usage, and lifecycle.

Hood Container, a leader in the Containerboard and Packaging Industry, is pleased to announce the appointment of Alan Clark as the new President and Chief Operating Officer, effective January 1, 2025. Alan Clark succeeds Charlie Hodges, who will retire after a nearly 50-year career in the pulp and paper business.

The Paper Packaging Company, founded by Nigerian engineer and entrepreneur Chidi Oguegbu, will extend its eco-conscious operations to the United States in early March. The expansion coincides with the organization's tenth anniversary, underscoring a record of providing paper-based packaging alternatives to reduce single-use plastics.

Tyler joined Twin Rivers Paper in April 2022 as Vice President of Finance and was named Chief Financial Officer in August 2022, leading the company's finance, accounting, treasury and tax functions. In April 2023, he was named President in addition to his role as Chief Financial Officer.

We are updating this list as these happen in the pulp, paper and forest products industry

In a recent article from Carbon Herald, it was announced that The Frontier signed an agreement with CO280 and Crew Carbon investing $80 million in CO2 removal.

The International Paper - Riegelwood Mill application has been reviewed by the DAQ, Air Quality Permitting Section in Raleigh, North Carolina to determine compliance with the requirements of the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission air pollution regulations.<

Province approves first phase of $550M development.

Metsä Fibre is developing a new lignin product at its Äänekoski demo plant. The new lignin product, produced from lignin separated from the pulp process, can replace the fossil-based chemicals used in concrete production. The product is also being considered for other uses.

Statkraft and Norske Skog Skogn have entered into a 3-year industrial power agreement for the supply of approximately 1 TWh (40 MW) during the period 2027-2029 to the company's paper mill in Skogn (Norway). Together with previous contracts, the agreement secures a significant portion of the mill's power supply at competitive terms through 2030.

Company says it will release information in mid-2025.

Rayonier Inc. announced that it has entered into an underground pore space easement agreement with an affiliate of Reliant Carbon Capture & Storage covering approximately 104,000 acres in Alabama.

UPM has been listed as the only forest and paper industry company in the Dow Jones Global and European Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for the years 2024-2025. The indices cover environmental, social and governance aspects of responsibility.

Incidents in 2025: We are updating this list as these happen in the pulp, paper and forest products industry

Investigators are looking into what started the fire.

The International Paper Company in Georgetown will see its final production Dec. 17 and then the process of closing the plant will get under way, according to a company spokesperson.

Four people had to be taken to hospital by ambulance after inhaling smoke, and in total between 10-15 people suffered smoke damage.

At about 6:30 a.m., Thursday, a worker at the packaging plant called 911 to report a fire inside the facility. An alarm inside Huhtamaki tripped less than a minute later, according to firefighters.

The International Paper Company officially closed its location in Bradley County, following an October announcement that layoffs would begin the shutdown this month.

The closing of the local International Paper facility affects at least 100 workers.

Putnam County Fire Rescue responded to a Georgia-Pacific because of a fire Dec. 31.