February 2020 - Midland Paper

RRD’s Customizable Kits Streamline the Path to a Better Brand Experience

February 20, 2020
Midland Paper Clips
Printer News

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company announces the availability of its brand experience kits. Designed for maximum impact, RRD’s kits enable brand managers and marketers to build a unique and memorable presentation around a product, service, or relationship. Examples include welcome, loyalty, and promotional kits, as well as subscription services for consumers, employees, and more. “The average person is bombarded with product promotions every day,” said Brad Ross, President, RRD Packaging Solutions. “To remain competitive, it is more important than ever for companies to create meaningful points of interaction between their brand and consumers—or even employees.”

International Paper Names First Chief Sustainability Officer

International Paper has named its first-ever chief sustainability officer as it prepares to advance its contributions to the circular economy. Sophie Beckham will lead the company's recently announced Vision 2030, which demonstrates its commitment to building a better future for people, the planet and the company. "Customers, investors and employees depend on us to be leaders in environmental stewardship and to strengthen our people and communities; appointing a chief sustainability officer is the next step in our continuing progress," said Mark Sutton, chairman and chief executive officer. "Sophie is uniquely qualified to lead the pursuit of our Vision 2030 goals and drive sustainability efforts that create value for all of our stakeholders."

GPO Reports Positive Financial Results for FY 2019 (whattheythink.com)

February 20, 2020
Midland Paper Clips
Printer News

GPO FY 2019 highlights: More than 360 million retrievals on GPO’s govinfo, the digital system of authentic, published Government information; Stimulating state/local economies with nearly $439 million in contracts to private sector printing companies through GPO’s print procurement program; Production of more than 15 million passports for the Department of State; Production of more than four million secure credentials; Modernizing GPO’s plant for efficiency by replacing decades old equipment with digital inkjet presses; Digitization of Congressional hearings and Public Papers of the Presidents; Keeping staffing levels rightsized to meet agency needs; Expanding GPO’s communication to the public through social media platforms.

Scott Mortimer, Meredith Corporation’s Vice President & Group Publisher, To Samir “Mr. Magazine™” Husni: “The Business Is Constantly Changing And Here At Meredith We’ve Embraced Change. And We Do That By Being Nimble, Opportunistic, And Evolving On A Weekly Basis.”… The Mr. Magazine™ Interview

Today, Meredith Corporation is the largest media company in the world and they sustain that position by not slowing down. Scott Mortimer is vice president & group publisher over at Meredith, and he knows that new blood pumping through the company’s veins is a life giver for sure. From wildly compatible and sustainable partnerships to unbelievably innovative ideas that shift the company to another level, Scott is looking forward to the future and has his eye on the prize for Meredith: more new titles. I spoke with Scott recently and we talked about the changes that are constantly a part of the magazine and magazine media life today. Scott says that while that can be a challenge and not for the faint of heart, at Meredith, the scale and size that they approach challenges with, makes them look forward to the opportunities. I hope that you enjoy this very fascinating discussion with Scott Mortimer, vice president & group publisher, Meredith Corporation, as he talks about the enormous growth opportunity special interest titles offer the company, and quite possibly, magazines in general.

American Media To Sell Fitness Magazines, Assets (mediapost.com)

American Media sold its fitness magazine titles, including Muscle & Fitness, Flex and M&F Hers, last week to Jake Wood, "an Arizona-based fitness industry insider whose growing portfolio includes digital media and event properties." American Media Inc. (AMI), run by CEO David Pecker, also sold the assets of its event brand Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend to Wood, according to the company. As part of the deal, American Media will continue to cover and promote the event, including sponsorships through its entertainment publications in both digital and print.

DS Smith Sale of Plastics Division Update

DS Smith is pleased to announce that the U.S. Department of Justice has entered into a consent decree clearing the way for the completion of Olympus Partners and its affiliate Liqui-Box Holdings’ pending acquisition of DS Smith’s Plastics division. The consent decree is now subject to the required U.S. federal court ratification, which is the final part of that process and we expect the transaction to complete promptly thereafter. The sale represents an important step in DS Smith’s continued progress as a leader in sustainable packaging with a clear focus on our fibre-based business.

Smurfit Kappa invests in expansion of its paper sack business in the Americas

Smurfit Kappa has announced its strategy to expand its paper sack business in the Americas in a $36 million investment. As part of the investment, a new cutting-edge Windmöller production line that will increase the company’s sack production by 100 million additional units per year will begin operating in 2021 in Palmira, Colombia. A similar project at Smurfit Kappa’s paper sack plant in the Dominican Republic was recently successfully undertaken. An extensive upgrade to the paper machine that produces the sack paper will also be made. The investment will increase the speed of the machine and enhance the quality of its multi-sheet paper sacks.

A Change of Scenery at Green Bay Broadway

Beginning in October 2019, the silhouette of the Green Bay Broadway (GBB) mill began to change. The first of two 400-foot stacks, a significant part of the Green Bay skyline for decades, started to be removed. The north stack was no longer being used for exhaust after GBB replaced a coal-fired boiler with a new natural gas boiler back in 2015. The mill is installing another natural gas boiler in late 2020 while the remaining south stack is scheduled for removal in 2021. The investment in natural gas boilers, a piece of the $80 million sustainability investments at GBB, helped the mill to decrease its emissions of nitrous oxide by 67 percent and sulfur dioxide by more than 80 percent. When the second natural gas boiler is activated later this year, the facility will be completely coal-free in its operations and will reduce emissions to near zero levels.

Kotkamills will take part in the Packaging Innovations exhibition, and in the Ecopack Challenge being held in conjunction with the event

Kotkamills signed its first significant collaboration agreements in Britain early this year. Lavazza Professional, global leader in drinks vending for the workplace, is introducing a breakthrough for the in-cup world: the new KLIX Eco Cup™ made from Kotkamills’ biodegradable paperboard that makes the new cup recyclable with normal paper waste, a first in vending! The British company Benders manufactures the cups from Kotkamills’ board. “Our products can be recycled along with normal paper and paperboard because they do not have the plastic inner coating found in conventional cups. This makes the cups easy to recycle without the need for a separate recycling system,” says Kotkamills CEO Markku Hämäläinen.

The fraught future of recycling (axios.com)

The American recycling industry is in crisis — and cities are on the front lines. The big picture: The economics undergirding the U.S. recycling system have fallen apart. Unable to absorb the extra cost, some cities are opting to kill recycling programs altogether — just as public concerns about climate change are ratcheting up. China, the biggest buyer of U.S. recycled materials, has closed its doors. Before the ban, the U.S. was exporting around 70% of its waste to China. Changing consumer behaviors have made the trash-sorting process more complex and expensive. "The market for recycling has had a lot of shock," says Marian Chertow, a professor at Yale's School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. "Cities are thinking, 'Hm, is this really worth it?'"