American Forest & Paper Association Releases August 2017 Containerboard Report

The Italian Loacker wafer in flexible packaging paper from Koehler Paper has been on the market for more than a year and a half. But the life cycle of this packaging does not end in waste paper after consumption. Thanks to its certified recyclability, the raw material can be used again and again: The wafer packaging is turned into high-quality recycled paper at Koehler Paper in Greiz. In this way, Koehler Paper is making an active contribution to conserving resources and setting an example of the circular economy in action within the Group. The starting point of the recycling trip is Kehl am Rhein, where Koehler Paper commissioned its most modern paper machine to date in 2019. Specially developed for the production of flexible packaging paper, packaging alternatives to plastic are created here. Compared to plastic, paper generally has a significantly lower carbon footprint. One of the reasons for this is that hardly any other material can be recycled so frequently. Even after several passes through the cycle, the quality of the secondary raw material is retained. From Kehl, the Koehler NexPlus® Seal Pure MOB packaging paper is sent to the SIT Group in San Marino, Italy. Here it is further processed into a Doypack and then delivered to Loacker as environmentally friendly secondary packaging. Once the wafers have been consumed, the packaging paper is sent via a waste paper sorting system to a local recycled paper mill, for example to Koehler Paper in Greiz. The beginnings of paper production in Greiz date back to 1591. Today, Loacker packaging is given a second life here, as all paper produced in Greiz is made from 100 percent secondary fiber raw materials. Thanks to state-of-the-art dyeing technology, the former red Loacker packaging, for example, is turned into a deep black recycled paper that has been awarded the “Blue Angel” eco-label and the EU Ecolabel. But that's not all: the black recycled paper produced in Greiz is further processed by a converter and finally reaches the renowned watch manufacturer Mühle-Glashütte in Saxony. There it finds a new purpose as fine packaging for luxury watches.

Sonoco Products Company announced it has entered into an agreement to sell its Thermoformed and Flexibles Packaging business to TOPPAN Holdings Inc. for approximately $1.8 billion on a cash-free and debt-free basis and subject to customary adjustments. The Transaction, which reflects the completion of the previously announced strategic review of Sonoco’s TFP business, is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the first half of 2025. Net proceeds from the transaction are expected to be used to repay existing debt. “The decision to sell our TFP business accelerates our portfolio simplification strategy, streamlines our organizational structure, and enables more focused capital investments in our remaining industrial paper and consumer packaging businesses,” said Howard Coker, Sonoco’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

How people consume is undergoing rapid change. As consumer demands and regulatory requirements intensify, the packaging industry needs to find new ways to protect food safely in more sustainable ways. Eric Le Lay, President, Fiber and Foodservice Europe-Asia-Oceania at Huhtamaki believes that there is a game-changing technology that can facilitate this transformation: High precision technology to create smooth molded fiber packaging. At Huhtamaki we want to do more. Our aim is to be a pioneer of sustainable packaging solutions. We take a material positive approach, ensuring that the best material is used for the right product. For us, fiber can and will play an important role. Fiber has been used in packaging for decades. Today, Huhtamaki is able to tap into its full potential by applying high-precision technology expertise to take this renewable material to surprising new levels. This innovation, combined with a high-level food-grade barrier, produces smooth molded fiber (SMF) sustainable packaging that offers superior functionality, keeps food safe, maintains its quality and eliminates the need for aluminum resulting in aluminum-zero solutions.