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The PM40 closed Friday, 14 March 2025, at 5537.

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 14 March 2025 up 0.4% from the 15 March 2024 level.

In this issue of Disconnected Comparisons, we evaluate PCA and Sappi.

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

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, more than 150 papermaking innovators and legends have been enshrined. This month, we profile the late Alf de Ruvo, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.

What will changing tariffs do to your business in the long term?

Alexander Isola, member of the Andritz AG Supervisory Board since 2016, has announced his intention to step down after the upcoming Annual General Meeting on March 27, 2025.

Celebrating Leadership in Sustainability and Partnering Together to Improve the World.

The start-up of the winder is scheduled for 2026.

Processors see improved sustainability, reduced costs and ability to phase out plastics.

Georgia-Pacific Recycling, a leading trader of recyclable paper, plastic, and metal, is thrilled to share that its online platform, hubbIT, was named a finalist in Georgia State University's J. Mack Robinson College of Business' 2025 Marketing Awards for Excellence in Innovation.

The report is available in Finnish and English.

International Paper has been recognized 19 times and is one of only two honorees in the Forestry, Packaging & Paper industry. In 2025, 136 honorees were recognized spanning 19 countries and 44 industries.

It is the seventh consecutive year the company has been named to the list, which honors organizations committed to business integrity through robust ethics, compliance, and governance programs.

Made by Shields, a Novolex brand, the innovative new wrap offers a sustainable solution that meets the needs of both dairies and consumers.

USG earned the Great Place to Work certification in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Weyerhaeuser's stock is gaining as investors anticipate that the company will benefit from new 25% tariffs on Canadian lumber imports. The Seattle-based firm, which owns 10.4 million acres of timberland in the U.S. and logging rights on another 14 million acres in Canada, is expected to sell lumber and wood panels at higher prices without the added cost of tariffs on cross-border shipments.

British Columbia Premier David Eby has ordered the removal of all U.S. alcohol products from BCLIQUOR stores in response to recent statements by U.S. President Donald Trump about his intention to impose tariffs targeting Canada's dairy and lumber industries.

KP Tissue Inc., part owner of Canada's largest toilet and tissue paper producer, says it won't provide guidance for its next quarter and has delayed a decision on a major capital investment because of U.S. tariffs.

Due to rising input costs, particularly but not only for pulp, Sappi Europe intends to increase prices for coated and uncoated fine papers by 8% effective from 7 April 2025.

Sonoco Products Company, a sustainable packaging solutions provider, will implement a price increase of $70 per tonne for all grades of uncoated recycled paperboard (URB) in the US and Canada.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has proposed increasing the anti-dumping duty on Canadian softwood lumber from 7.66% to 20.07%, nearly tripling the rate set three years ago.

Long-standing collaboration between Mondi and Hans Schmid KG ensures high-quality impregnated paper for laminates in the furniture and flooring industry.

Rayonier is selling entities that hold its entire 77% New Zealand joint venture interest for a purchase price of $710 million, subject to net debt, working capital, and other adjustments.

Workers at the Kruger pulp mill in Kamloops have ratified a new four-year collective agreement that will set the pattern for negotiations across the Western Pulp and Paper Caucus.

According to the EPA, the company has not started any construction on the property, but the Western Reserve Port Authority remains optimistic about the project.

Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR), a leading global provider of ingredient solutions for food, beverage and industrial applications, announced a $50 million investment in its Cedar Rapids, Iowa facility to modernize and expand the production of industrial starches for the packaging and papermaking industries.

Metsä Group has signed an agreement for partial funding from the EU Innovation Fund, securing a maximum grant of Euro 86.5 million for its Muoto packaging product mill planned for construction in Rauma, Finland. The company confirmed the agreement following negotiations that began in October 2024, according to Metsä Group.

Northern Pulp, the company behind a Nova Scotia mill that shut down four years ago amid environmental shortcomings, says it will cost $2.5 billion to build a new, cutting-edge plant on the province's southwest shore.

With this new project, Saica Group will create more than 100 new jobs in the State of Indiana once the facility is operating at full capacity.

UFP Packaging, a subsidiary of UFP Industries, expanded its U.S. manufacturing footprint by opening a new 165,000-square-foot corrugated facility in Jeffersonville, Ind., that will continue to undergo advancement and expansion throughout 2025. The latest expansion features advanced graphics and production capabilities for retail and e-commerce markets.

Six months after announcing an impending closure, Willamette Falls Paper Company is still seeking a buyer.

The companies inked the merger agreement in mid-November 2024 and continue to expect transaction to close in the middle of calendar year 2025.

The European Commission has approved the acquisition of joint control of Novolex Holdings and Pactiv Evergreen by Apollo Capital Management, all three based in the United States, and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board ('CPP Investments'), based in Canada.

Koskisen Corporation has agreed to acquire the business operations of Iisveden Metsä Oy. Located in Suonenjoki, Iisveden Metsä is a company mainly owned by private individuals and it produces approximately 140,000 m3 of softwood lumber per year. Iisveden Metsä Oy was founded by local forest owners in 1924.

Metsä Group's parent company Metsäliitto Cooperative will sell its wood supply business in Latvia carried out by Metsä Forest Latvia SIA to Latvian company ACA Timber. The parties have also agreed long-term deliveries of pulpwood and chips to Metsä Group.

Mativ Holdings, Inc. announced the appointment of Shruti Singhal, current member of Mativ's Board of Directors, as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective today. Mr. Singhal succeeds Julie Schertell, who has stepped down as President and Chief Executive Officer, and as a director.

UPM continues to selectively align its paper capacity with profitable customer demand to ensure performance and therefore plans to permanently close its paper mill in Ettringen, Germany, reducing the annual capacity of uncoated mechanical paper by 270,000 tonnes during July 2025.

Metsä Board has finalized change negotiations initiated in January to enhance profitability and cost efficiency. As a result, the company will permanently close the Tako board mill and improve the operational efficiency of the Kyro board mill, leading to a total reduction of 208 jobs.

Actions to revise burdensome regulations are necessary to promoting U.S. manufacturing and jobs.

The "world's first" tissue machine operating entirely on geothermal steam instead of gas is being unveiled at Essity's Kawerau paper mill.

The 168MW project, owned by Port Hawkesbury Paper Wind (PHP Wind), will be the largest wind farm in Nova Scotia and Maritime Canada upon completion.

On Saturday, March 1, fire crews responded to stubborn fire at West Fraser's Riegelwood, North Carolina, sawmill.

Tolko Industries, based in Vernon, B.C., has cut its consultant workforce, resulting in several people losing their jobs.

Firefighters were on the scene for around three and half hours.

Strathcona Paper's parent company, PaperWorks Industries Inc., is headquartered in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. The company responded that the incident at the mill was a minor fire that was quickly contained, and no one was injured. The mill has resumed normal operations.

Shreveport Fire Department (SFD) continued to rotate crews in and out every three hours Sunday (March 16), a day after a three-alarm fire involving 9,500 tons of paper erupted at a Pratt Industries recycling facility at the Port of Caddo-Bossier.

The crews reportedly stayed there after the fire was put out to ventilate smoke and restore fire protection systems.

The incident forced a one-day suspension of operations in the chemical plant.

The duration of temporary layoffs is up to 90 days.

While the notice does not specify the reasons for the closure, it states that the company expects the closure to be permanent.

Sofidel is pleased to announce the delivery of a new Yankee Dryer on March 2nd, 2025, to its Circleville facility, marking a significant milestone in the papermaking process.