Sonoco-Alcore to Increase Paperboard Prices in Europe

O-I Glass, Inc. will build a new greenfield glass plant in Bowling Green, KY. In line with strong consumer trends towards healthy, recyclable, and sustainable food and beverage packaging, the company is adding capacity to support its customers with brand-building premium glass containers. The company plans to invest up to $240 million in multiple expansion waves over time and create approximately 140 new jobs in the region. The new plant will be the first facility purposely-built for O-I’s revolutionary MAGMA technology that is set to redefine the glass production process for the future. MAGMA is expected to further enhance O-I’s capabilities to support multiple product categories and expand in today’s highly differentiated product segments. The production facility is also expected to set new standards in sustainable glass manufacturing. Using renewable electricity, gas-oxy fuel, and other innovative solutions, it will significantly advance O-I’s sustainability roadmap and make glass an even more compelling choice for consumers, customers, and the environment.

Sonoco announced it will raise the price for all paperboard tubes and cores by a minimum of 6 percent, effective with shipments in the United States and Canada, on or after May 24, 2021. “This price increase is necessary due to continued increases in costs for uncoated recycled paperboard (URB), our primary raw material which remains in very tight supply. Additionally, we are feeling significant inflationary pressures in adhesives, packaging and logistics costs,” said Mike Thompson, Director of Sales and Marketing for Sonoco’s North America Tubes and Cores Division.

Cushioning is an essential part of protecting fragile goods from shock and vibration. That’s why for many decades, plastic foams have been used as a versatile and cost-effective solution. However plastic based foams are problematic. If they leak out to nature the material is inert and will not degrade. Furthermore, plastic foams are generally made from finite sources, mainly crude oil, which leads to a release of fossil carbon at its end of life. To turn these challenges into a thing of the past, Stora Enso has developed a lightweight, paper-based foam for protection and cushioning in packaging. Here are three key reasons why Papira® by Stora Enso is better than conventional plastic foams. 1. A bio-based product - Plastic foams used in cushioning today are mainly made of crude oil, resulting in a product with a high carbon footprint over its lifetime and other environmental issues. 2. Recyclable in the paper stream - Even though plastic foams such as expanded polystyrene or polyethylene foams are lightweight and handy, recycling them is difficult. Paper-based Papira® by Stora Enso is designed for recycling in paper or carton streams. 3. Biodegradable and compostable - As a material, Papira® is designed to be biodegradable. Therefore, it does not become waste or pollution even if not recycled properly.