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The PM40 closed Friday, 1 August 2025, at 5119.


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 1 August 2025 down 8% from the 2 August 2024 level.

In this issue of Disconnected Comparisons, we evaluate Mativ and Sonoco.

The Trump Administration's executive orders cut across dozens of industries. This searchable tool breaks down the orders and their impact.

For over fifty years, I have said "Energy is Politics." It looks like we now need to say, "Market Pulp is Politics." The tariff machinations promulgated by President Trump, by and large, seem to be beneficial to the United States. However, if your primary input is market pulp from Brazil, you currently have only a brief(?) reprieve.

Andritz has completed a service retrofit for the Turkish company Turkuvaz at its Sakarya plant, integrating diversion channel technology into its baby diaper lines.

The start-up is scheduled for the second quarter of 2027.

Founded in 1945 and headquartered in Civitella di Romagna, Italy, Babbini is a recognized leader in screw press technology and dewatering applications for multiple industrial sectors, including paper recycling. GPS, based in Legnano, Italy, enhances Babbini's capabilities with system integration expertise and custom gearboxes for demanding industrial applications.

ISO 9001 certification offers a wide range of benefits for both the company and its customers.

The boiler plant is scheduled to be handed over to Saica at the end of 2026.

Specialty Papers US (SPUS), North America's premier conference dedicated to innovations in the specialty paper supply chain, will return to Chicago, Illinois from Monday, October 27 through Tuesday, October 28, 2025.

Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc., the global leader in cellulose specialty products, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GranBio LLC, a pioneer in biochemicals and biofuels, to jointly explore the development of a small-scale commercial cellulosic Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) facility co-located at RYAM's Jesup, Georgia site.

International Paper and other rival manufacturers have been accused in a new lawsuit in U.S. federal court of conspiring to fix and inflate prices for key raw materials that are used to make cardboard boxes and merchandise displays.

Funding supports dislocated workers in 14 counties.

A major component of this investment is the complete rebuild and modernization of the woodyard at the Escanaba Mill.

Cascades, the leader in environmentally responsible packaging and hygiene product manufacturing, is proud to announce it has recently invested $3,560,000 to upgrade a strategic converting line at its Kingsey Falls tissue plant.

These additions will increase production by 20% by the end of 2025.

The company expects the $80.5 million project to create up to 515 jobs.

Design and engineering work has reportedly started, and Georgia-Pacific says that the project is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2027.

Hood Container expects to significantly increase its manufacturing capacity and raw materials purchases as a result of the upgrade.

Kruger announced to its employees a comprehensive diversification strategy to secure future operations of Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Limited contingent on timely endorsement by key industry partners. Kruger is proposing to invest up to $700 million to transform the mill into a modernized and sustainable manufacturing complex that will become one of the most competitive in the industry.

In response to rising demand for high-quality, fiber-based sustainable packaging, Sappi North America announced that it is delivering commercial product to customers following the completion of Project Elevate, the $500 million conversion and expansion of Paper Machine No. 2 (PM2) at its Somerset Mill in Maine.

Sonoco Products Company, a global leader in value-added sustainable packaging, is pleased to announce a $30 million capital investment to expand its production capacity in the growing adhesives and sealants (A&S) market. This strategic initiative will add 100 million additional units of annual capacity, ensuring Sonoco continues to meet increasing market demands while enhancing supply security.

Unifor is encouraged by Kruger Inc.'s announcement that it plans to invest up to $700 million in its Corner Brook, N.L. mill to modernize the facility.

Canfor Corporation announced that its 77%-owned subsidiary, Vida AB, has entered into an agreement to purchase AB Karl Hedin Sågverk from Mattsbo Såg AB and certain minority shareholders for a purchase price of $164 million (1.15 billion Swedish Krona), including working capital of approximately $39 million.

Nova Scotia's minister of natural resources says it's 'not the outcome we had hoped for'

Georgia-Pacific is sharing the news that Christian Fischer, president and CEO, announced he is retiring from the company at the end of October and will work to transition his responsibilities beginning in August. Christian joined Georgia-Pacific in 1989 and has held numerous leadership roles. He was named president and CEO in 2017. Mark Luetters, currently executive vice president of Koch, Inc., with responsibility overseeing several Koch companies, including Georgia-Pacific, will continue in that role while serving as Georgia-Pacific's president and CEO.

In an open letter, Ross County business and government leaders said the sudden shift from closing at the end of the year to shutting down on Aug. 10 not only disrupted the future planning of families and businesses, but also damaged the trust between H.I.G. Capital and the community.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has finalized antidumping duties on softwood lumber imports from Canada, setting rates between 9.65% and 35.53% for entries made during 2023.

Greif said it will permanently close its steel and polymer drum facility in Merced, Calif., as part of its previously announced optimization efforts.

Driven by structural overcapacity in the graphic paper markets and the need to ensure long-term competitiveness of its operations, UPM Communication Papers plans to end paper production at UPM Kaukas paper mill, Finland, reducing the annual production capacity of coated mechanical paper by 300,000 tonnes.

Innovation in energy

Storage tanks, treatment systems, and environmental equipment at the Cosmo Specialty Fibers pulp mill steadily deteriorate, leading to dangerous conditions and mounting threats to nearby neighborhoods, the Chehalis River, and Grays Harbor.<

Under the 12-year agreement, Greif will purchase approximately 100 GWh per year of clean, renewable energy, helping the company offset an estimated 65% of its Scope 2 emissions in Europe and 3% of its combined Scope 1 and 2 emissions globally.

AV Terrace Bay has been fined for two Environmental Protection Act violations related to discharges into the water and air that exceeded guidelines.

Andrex® and Kleenex® producer Kimberly-Clark, together with partners HYRO and Carlton Power, invest a combined £125 million into UK green hydrogen.

Chillicothe's Pixelle paper mill, which is set to close in August, has a secondary function: it helps contain a toxic plume of cancer-causing chemicals underground that were spilled by a former cookware manufacturer decades ago.

The cause of the fire has not been released, and no injuries have been reported.

Deputy Fire Chief Andy Nimmo said that the response was due to a machine fire in the facility. Employees were evacuated from the building while crews put out the fire.

Edson Fire Department crews arrived promptly and worked in close coordination with the ERT to bring the fire under control.

A fire broke out Monday afternoon, July 28, at the National Gypsum plant in Oxford, prompting a large response from local and regional emergency crews. The Oxford Fire Department (OFD) responded to the call and successfully contained the fire to a single room. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters were on-scene for four hours. One was taken to the hospital as a precaution due to a medical condition.

This closure in California is the latest in a series that International Paper has undertaken over the last year as part of its streamlining efforts. Since October 2024, the company's announced consolidations have impacted roughly 2,500 employees across the United States, inclusive of the Buena Park additions.

A fatal crash involving a BMW and a log truck happened just before 3 p.m. Monday, July 21, at the entrance of the International Paper Mill in Port Wentworth.

UFP Edge will permanently close its manufacturing facility in Bonner on September 27, 2025. The closure is expected to layoff 104 employees according to a letter sent from the company to the Missoula County Commissioners.

UPM Adhesive Materials, formerly known as UPM Raflatac, plans to increase its production capacity in the high-growth market for advanced labels with an investment in its factory in Mills River, North Carolina, USA.