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The PM40 closed Friday, 11 March 2022, at 4220.

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 11 March 2022 up 10.9% from the 12 March 2021 level.

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

Reported insider trading since the last issue of PaperMoney.

Ladies and gentlemen, the first class of inductees to the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame in Appleton, Wisconsin was inducted more than two decades ago in 1995, and today, close to 150 papermaking innovators and legends have been enshrined. This month, we profile David Appel, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020.

This greenfield 1,000 tpd recycled containerboard and special packing grade board machine will utilize a wet end system with AFT's most advanced POM® technology.

Kemira has decided to discontinue deliveries to Russia and Belarus starting March 1, 2022 until further notice due to the ongoing situation in the region.

Kemira is making a donation of EUR 50,000 to the Red Cross to help and support in the humanitarian crisis of Ukraine.

Costs for all main raw materials, energy and freight have massively increased during recent months and continue to rise. The surge in costs has been further intensified by the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Business software giant Oracle Corp said on Wednesday it has suspended all operations in Russia, while rival SAP SE later announced it would pause all sales in the country following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The experts from Voith's OnPerformance.Lab (OPL) and Hamburger Containerboard have achieved 35 percent faster grade changes, optimized length profile and more stable processes on PM 1 at the producer's Spremberg site.

Andritz has successfully started up a complete OCC line delivered on EPS (Engineering, Procurement, Supervision) basis to SCGP's subsidiary, United Pulp and Paper Co., Inc. (UPPC) for its mill in Bulacan, the Philippines.

Valmet has on March 1, 2022 acquired North American-based Coldwater Seals, Inc., a global provider of consumables and services to the pulp and paper industry. Coldwater operates manufacturing facilities in the United States and Sweden. The value of the acquisition will not be disclosed.

Glatfelter Corporation, a leading global supplier of engineered materials, has been nominated as a finalist for two IDEA®22 awards - the IDEA® Nonwoven Product Achievement Award for its Sontara® Silk facial sheet masks and the IDEA® Sustainability Advancement Award for its partnership with Blue Ocean Closure (BOC) and ALPLA for sustainable, fiber-based screw caps.

International Paper was recognized as a 2022 Best Companies to Work in three categories: Women, Diversity and Millennials. This award represents the fifth consecutive year the company, a leading global supplier of renewable fiber-based products, has been recognized by the Women's Choice Award®.

Sun Chemical has collaborated with HP to launch sustainable flexible packaging produced with HP's Indigo digital press and Sun Chemical's new solventless lamination solution SunLam.

Sales growth was strong during the year and net sales amounted to approximately SEK 122bn.

Sonoco-Alcore S.a.r.l. announces that due to the continued escalation in the cost of European energy, it will raise prices by €100 (£85) / tonne on all recycled paperboard grades sold in the Company's EMEA regions effective for all shipments made on or after the 14th March 2022.

The Alberta provincial government announced a renewed joint forest management agreement (FMA) with West Fraser Mills Ltd. and Tolko Industries Ltd. for the next 20 years, in exchange for various responsibilities. The FMA allows both companies to maintain the right to establish, grow, harvest and remove Crown timber from the forest management area.

BillerudKorsnäs and Viken Skog plan to initiate a feasibility study about future pulp production at Follum. This will be completed during the first half of 2023.

Frustration is growing in York County ahead of Friday's deadline for public comment on a proposed consent decree between the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and New-Indy Containerboard after regulators accused the paper mill of releasing dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide into the air.

Columbia Pulp LLC has until April 15 to pay off a debt of $758,490.97 plus fees or its property near Starbuck will be sold to satisfy the judgment, according to Columbia County Superior Court papers posted on social media by that county's Sheriff's Office on Thursday, March 10.

International Paper (IP), one of the world's leading producers of renewable fiber-based packaging and absorbent pulp solutions, is announcing another investment program worth 100 million MAD (10 million EUR) at its production facilities in Morocco for 2022. The investment comes in response to the continued increase in demand for corrugated packaging solutions.

Chatham Asset Management, LLC, a leading private investment firm, and R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company announced that they have completed a transaction in which affiliates of Chatham have acquired RRD for $10.85 per share in cash. The acquisition was previously announced on December 14, 2021, and RRD stockholders approved the transaction at the Special Meeting of Stockholders held on February 23, 2022.

LP Building Solutions announced that it closed on the previously announced sale of its 50% equity interest in two joint ventures that produce I-joists to Resolute Forest Products Inc.

Millar Western Forest Products Ltd. has completed the sale of its wood products assets to Canfor Corporation. The transaction included lumber and specialty lumber mills in Whitecourt, Fox Creek and Acheson, Alberta, Canada, and associated woodlands operations and timber holdings.

The mill announced an indefinite curtailment last December, due to ongoing financial losses, and said that around 200 workers would be temporarily laid off until the company decided whether it wanted to continue running the mill in a different capacity or sell it altogether.

Verso and BillerudKorsnäs now expect the merger to close in late-March or April of 2022.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö is following the situation closely.

Tetra Laval, the group which comprises Tetra Pak, Sidel and DeLaval is donating EUR 2 million to humanitarian support to Ukrainians in Ukraine and those that have been forced to flee to neighbouring countries.

In support of the Ukrainian people as they deal with the tragedy unfolding in their country, J.D. Irving Limited will match their employees' donations to the Canadian Red Cross' "Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal" up to $100,000.

MM has stopped all cartonboard deliveries to Russia.

The ban will affect the countries from 'unfriendly' states list recently released by Russia, including the U.S. and the EU countries. According to the Ministry of industry and trade of Russia, the ban will ensure the needs in the domestic market in affordable raw wood, as well as stimulate a further increase of wood processing within the country.

To ensure the supply of high-quality forest seedlings now and in the future, Södra has decided to build a cold store that holds 40 million forest seedlings. The warehouse will be built near Falkenberg and will be ready in the summer of 2023.

Tetra Laval, the group which comprises Tetra Pak, Sidel and DeLaval is donating EUR 2 million to humanitarian support to Ukrainians in Ukraine and those that have been forced to flee to neighbouring countries.

UPM will suspend purchasing of wood in and from Russia as well as the UPM Chudovo plywood mill operations for the time being. The company is preparing a mitigation plan accordingly. UPM also informed on 3 March 2022 that it will cease deliveries to Russia.

West Fraser is temporarily rolling back its operating schedule at lumber mills across B.C., impacting more than 700 employees.

As a partner in DOE's Better Climate Challenge, International Paper is one of more than 80 organizations across the U.S. economy that are stepping up to the Challenge and driving real-world action toward a low-carbon future.

SCA has published its annual and sustainability report for 2021. In the report, SCA describes the company's work to contribute to a fossil-free society. SCA's climate benefit in 2021 amounted to 10.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide based on the forest's net carbon sequestration, substitution effect and reduced fossil emissions.

UPM has published a new Forest Action Programme, which will run until 2030.

Workers at Cascades Containerboard Packing in the city have overwhelmingly ratified a collective bargaining agreement which will remain in place until the end of the year.

Firefighters were called to Dunn Paper in the town of Gouverneur shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday, March 6.

Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, starts negotiations on its plans to discontinue the lumber production in Kyrö, Finland in the summer of 2022. The production stop will affect all the sawmill's 73 employees.

The operations of Metsä Group's only production unit in Russia, the Svir sawmill, have been suspended.

Syktyvkar is currently operating, but the mill is starting to see a number of operational constraints, including in the importing of process chemicals, spare parts and other critical supplies. While difficult to assess the ramifications in what remains a fast-moving situation, this may significantly impact the operation of the mill.

Neenah, Inc. announced that Larry Brownlee, Senior Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer (CAO), has communicated his plans to retire in August. To ensure a smooth transition, Mr. Brownlee will remain with Neenah through the August 12 retirement date.

Neenah announced the restart of its Brownville, New York manufacturing facility.

Due to unaffordability of operations in the current energy environment, temporary downtime has been initiated at the Bruck paper mill in Austria. The new boiler scheduled for start-up in April is expected to contribute to alleviate the situation by reducing the mill's gas consumption and improve its energy supply. The boiler project and the packaging conversion project at the Bruck mill continue as planned.

Stora Enso announced that they will stop all production and sales in Russia until further notice due to the ongoing invasion in Ukraine.

The Svetogorsk mill, located at the border with Finland, employs approximately 1,700 people and produces uncoated freesheet, coated paperboard and pulp. The mill relies on raw materials and other critical supplies and services imported from Europe.

Sylvamo is beginning an orderly suspension of operations in Russia. The suspension will focus on employee and contractor safety and environmental stewardship. It will be conducted in a manner to allow a resumption of full operations in an environment consistent with the company's values.

UPM will cease its deliveries to Russia for the time being. UPM businesses will keep the Russian customers and suppliers informed of the situation.