Joint Venture

Effective March 1, Sylvamo will add Karl Meyers and Mark Wilde, expanding the company's board to 11 directors.

Stora Enso and Valmet have started collaborating on next-generation lignin product and process development to drive Stora Enso's lignin-based businesses and further improve the performance of the Valmet LignoBoost technology. The objective of the partnership is to further develop the quality and customer value of lignin, increase the supply by optimised process machinery and asset design, and to accelerate the speed of meeting the growing lignin demand of the future.

International Paper Company announced that it entered into an agreement to sell its 50% interest in Ilim SA to its joint venture partners for $484M. The company noted that the sale is subject to regulatory approvals in Russia.

Asia Pacific Resources International Limited ("APRIL"), a member of the Singapore-headquartered Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) group of companies founded by Sukanto Tanoto, has announced its collaboration with enterprise services application, Krealogi, to increase the production capacity and business development capabilities of micro, small and medium enterprises ("MSMEs") in the Riau Province.

Sappi Limited has partnered with EcoVadis, a global leader in third-party evaluations of business sustainability performance, to benchmark and assess the sustainability practices of Sappi's suppliers and encourage their commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The Cup Collective, a programme founded by Stora Enso and Huhtamaki to capture the value of used paper cups through recycling at an industrial scale, has welcomed its first partners. The new partners include McDonald's, SSP - The Food Travel Experts, C2 Centre, and the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB), all further supporting the initiative's ability to significantly increase paper cup recycling volumes in Europe.

The Lenzing Group, the world's leading supplier of sustainably produced specialty fibers, and Renewcell, the Swedish textile-to-textile recycling pioneer, have signed a multi-year supply agreement to accelerate the transition of the textile industry from a linear to a circular business model. The agreement contains the sale of 80,000 to 100,000 tonnes of Renewcell's 100 per cent recycled textile Circulose® dissolving pulp to Lenzing over a five-year period, for use in the production of cellulosic fibers for fashion and other textile applications.

For many years, CellMark and Norske Skog have successfully partnered together through exclusive marketing agreements in North America, South-East Asia, Spain, and Portugal.

Amcor, a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging solutions, has announced its investment of US$3 million in PulPac, a Swedish company providing disruptive manufacturing technology for low-cost, high-performance fiber-based packaging. Amcor is one of several strategic investors in a cross-industry alliance aimed at driving the deployment of PulPac's technology globally.

SCA and Holmen have agreed to conduct a feasibility study regarding a potential new jointly owned sawmill in Rundvik, Nordmaling municipality in Västerbotten. A new sawmill in Norrland with high production capacity would increase the value of forest assets in the long term.

Georgia-Pacific, in partnership with global venture firm and startup accelerator gener8tor, has kicked off its third 1915 Studios gBETA accelerator program. Welcoming four new startup companies to its fall cohort, Georgia-Pacific's 1915 Studios enables the success of early-stage startups that supply innovative sustainability solutions.

Bast Fibre Technologies Inc. (BFT), the makers of sero™ hemp fibre, announced that it has closed a major strategic financing with Ahlström Capital of Finland. BFT will immediately begin work to expand fibre manufacturing capacity at its US-flagship facility in Lumberton (NC) and its EU-facility near Düsseldorf (NRW).

Sonoco ThermoSafe, a unit of Sonoco and one of the largest global providers of temperature assurance packaging, and United Cargo are pleased to announce a global lease agreement for the new Pegasus ULD® temperature-controlled bulk shipping container. The agreement enables pharmaceutical freight forwarders access to Pegasus ULD® containers directly from United Cargo.

UPM Timber and Lassila & Tikanoja have established a new recycling concept, in which used plastic wrapping is picked up from the customers and recycled into new wrappings. The customers also receive a compensation for the recycling collaboration.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö, Metsä Fibre and 3M, with the help of Earthworm Foundation, continue their close collaboration in responsible wood sourcing.

Huhtamaki and Stora Enso have joined forces to launch a new paper cup recycling initiative, The Cup Collective.

Sonoco ThermoSafe, a unit of Sonoco one of the largest global providers of temperature assurance packaging, and American Airlines Cargo, a trusted airline partner in transporting high-value, time and temperature sensitive shipments, are pleased to announce a global partnership lease agreement for the new Pegasus ULD® passive temperature-controlled bulk shipping container.

The 3D fibre product demo plant jointly owned by Metsä Group's innovation company Metsä Spring and Valmet was inaugurated in Äänekoski on Monday, 22 August 2022. The demo plant was inaugurated by Minister of Science and Culture Petri Honkonen, President and CEO of Metsä Group Ilkka Hämälä and CEO of Valmet Pasi Laine.

UPM and Dongsung Chemical announce a development partnership that will accelerate the introduction of renewable, sustainable forest-sourced materials into the Asian market and reduce fossil resource consumption.

WestRock Company, a leading provider of sustainable paper and packaging solutions, has delivered its flexible and efficient Cluster-Pak® EvoTech™ packaging solution for a joint partnership between Budějovický Budvar and Mattoni 1873 to advance their shared commitment to improving circularity in the Czech Republic.

Viken Skog and the Swedish packaging manufacturer BillerudKorsnäs are collaborating to establish a wood pulp facility in Treklyngen Industripark, the area Viken Skog bought after Norske Skog Follum shut down paper production in 2012.

CMPC, one of Latin America's largest pulp and paper companies, has announced a partnership with CNI and SOSA, the global open innovation company, to improve the efficiency and sustainability of CMPC's forestry supply chain in Brazil.

Mondi, a global leader in packaging and paper, has collaborated with Essity and Dow to create new, recyclable secondary packaging for Essity's feminine care products, using renewable materials and post-consumer recycled content that reduces use of fossil-based materials.

Heinzel Holding GmbH and Paracel S.A. jointly announce that Heinzel has entered into an investment agreement to become the strategic equity investor in Paracel, an afforestation and pulp mill project in Paraguay, South America.

Stora Enso and Northvolt are joining forces to create sustainable batteries using lignin-based hard carbon produced with renewable wood from the Nordic forests. The aim is to develop the world's first industrialised battery featuring anode sourced entirely from European raw materials, lowering both the carbon footprint and the cost.