Catalyst Paper’s project would support 62 new jobs at Rumford mill

Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc. is expanding its popular Envi Card Stock portfolio with the introduction of Envi PC 100 Card 28 pt., crafted from 100% post-consumer waste fibers. In the last 10 years, more than 10 billion gift, membership, and loyalty cards have been produced on Envi Card by the world’s leading retailers, restaurants, hotels, and brands. This is a testament to the viability of converting PVC card programs to engineered paper. The “Un-Plastic® alternative,” a drop-in replacement for legacy plastic and PVC substrates, will be particularly attractive to issuers looking to enhance their sustainability portfolios. Envi Card has been qualified by printers and card manufacturers around the world. Like all Envi Card Stock materials, Envi PC 100 Card is manufactured in the U.S. and is FSC® certified, manufactured carbon neutral (VERs), and made with 100 percent renewable Green-e certified wind-powered electricity (RECs) under a third-party certified ISO 14001 Environmental Management System.

Norske Skog will take a major step in its continued transformation towards a growing and high-margin business by converting two newsprint paper machines into renewable containerboard production. The conversions at Golbey and Bruck will introduce 765,000 tonnes of competitive containerboard capacity to meet the growing demand for renewable packaging. Following the conversions, both mills will have access to green energy and have reduced their carbon footprints to become among the best performers in the industry. Norske Skog will continue to be a reliable supplier of all publication paper grades after the planned conversions. Newsprint capacity will be reduced with 360,000 tonnes, balancing the market for the Norske Skog’s remaining European publication paper capacity. Norske Skog plans to invest approximately EUR 350 million in the conversion projects over an 18-month period commencing in H2 2021. The investments are expected to generate an annual EBITDA of approximately EUR 70-80 million at full utilisation, based on historical prices for containerboard and recovered paper.

The Kuura textile fibre is produced in Äänekoski, Finland, at Metsä Spring and Itochu’s jointly-owned demo plant. The joint demo phase project, which is built around the Äänekoski demo plant, aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a novel production process and textile fibre product, from both a technical and economic standpoint. This advanced direct dissolution method saw its beginnings in a collaboration with universities and research institutions over a decade ago. The demo phase began in late 2020 and it is estimated to last approximately two years. “We are testing a novel way of producing textile fibres from undried pulp, based on safer and more environmentally friendly chemicals. Our project has now reached a point where we can shift our focus more on investigating the fibre’s market potential and its suitability in different applications. Our partner ITOCHU, which has operated in the textile industry for over 100 years already, plays a key role in this. The launch of the Kuura brand supports ITOCHU work at the customer front,” says Niklas von Weymarn, CEO of Metsä Spring.