Lecta Announces Price Increase for North America

Flexible packaging is the fastest growing plastic packaging category. Because it is predominanty single-use, with very low recycling and high leakage rates, it is also by far the most challenging market segment to address on the journey towards a circular economy. Koehler Paper played an important part in the latest project of the international charity “Ellen MacArthur Foundation”, to point out options for a circular economy in flexible packaging. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, an international charity, was launched in 2010 with the aim of accelerating the transition to the circular economy. They create evidence-based original research on the benefits of a circular economy, and how it can contribute to solving global challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss.

Norske Skog’s EBITDA in the first quarter of 2024 was NOK 76 million, a decrease from NOK 760 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. The fourth quarter EBITDA was significantly influenced by business interruption insurance of NOK 625 million at Norske Skog Saugbrugs. The first quarter EBITDA was negatively impacted by deconsolidation of Norske Skog Tasman of NOK 46 million and lower European CO2-allowance prices of NOK 32 million. Demand for publication paper is stabilising, but further capacity closures are still required. Containerboard demand is increasing but still experiences excess capacity. “We are very satisfied with the demand for our publication paper products in the first quarter. We have invested close to EUR 500 million into containerboard and energy projects over the past three years, and we still maintain a very strong balance sheet and cash position. We are highly satisfied with the production ramp-up at Bruck. The feedback from our customers on product quality is positive, and this is promising for our plan to deliver a total of 760 000 tonnes of packaging paper from Bruck and Golbey into the market in the coming years. Along with the Saugbrugs management team, we have continued to identify future opportunities for Saugbrugs industrial site, and we hope to announce further details during the second quarter,” says Geir Drangsland, CEO of Norske Skog.

UPM Pulp, UPM Communication Papers and the Paper Workers' Union have reached a negotiation outcome in the collective labour agreement negotiations concerning UPM's Finnish pulp and printing paper mills. "We are pleased that we have reached a negotiated outcome on the new collective agreements and would like to thank the Paper Workers’ Union for the constructive and good spirit negotiations. The contents of the negotiation outcomes now achieved create a good basis for the development of our business in Finland," say Aki Temmes, Executive Vice President of UPM Fibres and Antti Hermonen, Senior Vice President, Operations of UPM Communication Papers. The new collective agreements will have a two-year contract period and will enter into force upon approval by the Paper Workers’ Union’s Board. The union has announced that their Board will discuss the negotiation outcomes at its meeting on 5 June 2024. Negotiations on the collective labour agreements for UPM Specialty Papers, UPM Raflatac and UPM Biofuels will continue.