Sonoco, one of the largest diversified global packaging companies, today announced that M. Jack Sanders has been named president and chief operating officer, effective immediately. Sanders, 57, will report to Harris E. DeLoach, Jr., 66, chairman and chief executive officer.

"We are very pleased to have Jack become president and chief operating officer of Sonoco. Over his 23-year career with the Company, Jack has demonstrated exceptional operations leadership while running all of our Global Consumer and Industrial businesses," said DeLoach, who has been president of Sonoco since 2000.

In this new leadership role, Sanders will have global operating responsibility for Sonoco's businesses serving consumer markets, including Global Rigid Paper and Closures, Global Rigid Plastics, Global Flexible Packaging and Global Services. He also will have responsibility for the Company's businesses serving industrial markets, including the Company's vertically integrated global industrial converting and paperboard operations. Combined, these businesses operate more than 300 plants in 35 countries.

A 1976 graduate of Louisiana State University with a B.S. in finance, Sanders joined Sonoco in 1987 as national sales and marketing manager, Wire and Cable Reels. In 1991, he was named general manager for Sonoco's Protective Packaging division and was promoted to division vice president and general manager of Protective Packaging in 1998. Sanders was elected a corporate officer and named vice president, Industrial Products, North America in 2001. He was subsequently named vice president, Global Industrial Products in 2005, senior vice president in 2006 and executive vice president in 2008. Prior to this promotion, Sanders has served as executive vice president, Global Consumer, since January 2010.

About Sonoco

Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a $3.6 billion global manufacturer of industrial and consumer products and provider of packaging services, with more than 300 operations in 35 countries, serving customers in some 85 nations. For more information on the Company, visit our Web site at http://www.sonoco.com/.

A record number of 77 designs competed for the prize, which includes a trip to an FSC certified forest in Brazil and the opportunity to create a prototype of her winning design using local wood species. Named “Side Table”, the winning design is simple and functional. The beautiful simplicity of the design was highlighted by the jury as a winning feature because it makes the product easy to understand and suitable for mass production.

The FSC Design Award is an annual event organized in collaboration with WWF, Nepenthes and a number of private sponsors. The Award aims to raise awareness about FSC and the responsible use of forest resources. Every year, the competition calls for carpenters, interior designers and architects to design a product using FSC certified material and to consider sustainability issues in production.

Please visit the website of FSC Denmark for more pictures and information.

Sawlog costs in Europe have gone up more than lumber prices the past year, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly. With the expected decline in lumber consumption, many sawmills in Europe are considering reductions in their operating rates. As a consequence, prices for sawlogs are likely to drop from their two–year highs in the coming months.

The full article can be found in the attached PDF file.....

Ahlstrom Corporation, a global leader in nonwovens and specialty papers, has today signed an agreement to exit its Sealing & Shielding business unit through the sale of Ahlstrom Altenkirchen GmbH in Germany. The acquirer is Interface Solutions, a portfolio company of Pennsylvania-based family owned private equity fund Susquehanna Capital.

The value of the transaction is approximately EUR 6.5 million.

Ahlstrom Altenkirchen GmbH, which is part of Ahlstrom's Label and Processing Business Area, is located in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz. The plant has two paper machines and employs approximately 130 people. Its products include gasket and heat shield materials for the automotive industry and calender bowl materials for the paper industry.

Products manufactured by the Altenkirchen site differ technically from the other nonwoven and specialty paper products made by Ahlstrom and therefore do not fit strategically with the company's portfolio. Interface Solutions is a global leader in gasket materials for the automotive industry.  

It is anticipated that the transaction will be completed by the end of 2010. Ahlstrom will book a non-recurring gain of approximately EUR 5 million from the transaction in its fourth-quarter financial results. The completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.

Ahlstrom's Label and Processing Business Area will continue to operate six production sites in France, Germany, Italy and Brazil.

For further information, please contact:
Jan Lång
President and CEO
Tel. +358 10 888 4700

Patrick Jeambar
Executive Vice President, Label and Processing
Tel. +33 4 7645 3515

Seppo Parvi
CFO
Tel. +358 10 888 4768

An awareness campaign entitled Go Paper. Grow Trees.(TM) gives consumers the facts on how using paper products makes a direct contribution to the health and growth of trees and the forests. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), a majority of the 750 million acres of U.S. forests are privately owned. These private owners -- mostly family tree farmers -- will ultimately determine what happens to our forestlands. We depend on forests for many social, ecological and economic benefits.

Sponsored by International Paper, Go Paper. Grow Trees. was created to connect readers to the challenges private landowners face in growing and maintaining healthy forests. For more information on the awareness campaign visit GoPaperGrowTrees.com. The interactive website provides numerous forestry facts and dispels many myths, along with offering other exciting multi-media tools, including a Go Paper. Grow Trees.(TM) video.

"It's important to understand that tree farmers and other private landowners plant about 4 million trees every day, which is about three to four times more than they harvest," said Teri Shanahan, IP's vice president, Commercial Printing. "By planting trees and managing forests responsibly, landowners are given the financial incentive they need to maintain and protect the valuable forest resources that provide benefits for present and future generations."

Without the income from tree farming, landowners face economic pressure to pay property taxes and replace lost revenue. A common outcome is converting forestlands to other uses such as agricultural crops that have shorter growing and cash cycles than forest products. Another tempting prospect is to sell the land for development. In either case, the forest is removed forever and so are the benefits of cleaner water, better air, wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Healthy forests are life-support systems -- and demand for paper products ensures landowners continue to farm trees.

"By providing a clearer understanding of who owns the forests and the challenges these landowners face, Go Paper. Grow Trees. is intended to correct misinformation and provide a realistic perspective on the role that paper products play in keeping our forests healthy and growing," added Shanahan. "Consumers continue to be environmentally conscious in the choices they make, so it's important they base their decisions on facts. The facts are paper products are a sustainable, renewable, recyclable and biodegradable resource -- and using paper products can actually lead to a healthier forest ecosystem and the demand for and growth of more trees."

About International Paper

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a global paper and packaging company with manufacturing operations in North America, Europe, Latin America, Russia, Asia and North Africa. Its businesses include uncoated papers and industrial and consumer packaging. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., the company employs about 60,000 people in more than 20 countries and serves customers worldwide. 2009 net sales were more than $23 billion. For more information about International Paper, its products and stewardship efforts, visit internationalpaper.com.

Go Paper. Grow Trees.(TM) is a trademark of International Paper.

SOURCE International Paper

Global sawlog prices have trended upward in almost all regions of the world for the past two years.

After a temporary drop in the 2Q, the Softwood Wood Fiber Price Index (SFPI) increased again in the 3Q to the highest level during the financial crises.  

This year has been a very good year for the world’s producers of market pulp. World production for the first eight months was eight percent higher than last year.

Lumber markets were mixed around the world. In Sweden and Finland, lumber prices trended downward during the first half of 2010. Canadian w est coast spruce-pine-fir prices went up the most, and were 14 percent higher in September than in June.

Woody biomass prices in the US peaked in late 2008 and early 2009 and have fallen until the 2Q this year when they probably bottomed out for this cycle.

The full article can be found in the attached PDF file.....

International technology Group ANDRITZ has agreed with the authorities responsible for the insolvency proceedings on the acquisition of AE&E Austria GmbH & Co KG. The ANDRITZ tender offer to A-TEC was approved on December 2, 2010 in the evening. ANDRITZ will finance a bailout plan in coordination with the responsible financial rehabilitation body of AE&E Austria GmbH & Co KG in order to stabilize the company. The parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

With approximately 350 employees in Graz and Vienna the acquired company has annual sales of approximately 200-300 MEUR. With this purchase, ANDRITZ strengthens and complements its product range in its PULP & PAPER and ENVIRONMENT & PROCESS business areas.

For further information, please contact:
Dr. Michael Buchbauer
Head of Group Treasury, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations
Phone: +43 (316) 6902 2979
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.andritz.com

The ANDRITZ GROUP
The ANDRITZ GROUP is a globally leading supplier of plants and services for the hydropower, pulp and paper, metals, and other specialized industries (solid/liquid separation, feed and biofuel). The Group is headquartered in Graz, Austria, and has a staff of approximately 14,300 employees worldwide. ANDRITZ operates over 120 production sites, service, and sales companies all around the world.

Stora Enso is investing EUR 30 million in its newsprint machine at Sachsen Mill in Germany. This project to improve paper quality is scheduled to be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2012.                                       

“This investment will enable Sachsen Mill to satisfy its customers' increasing quality demands, especially for lower grammage grades. The paper quality and productivity improvement will further enhance the mill's overall competitiveness in the challenging newsprint market situation in Europe,” says Juha Vanhainen, EVP, Publication Paper Business Area.                                           

For further information, please contact:                                        
Juha Vanhainen, EVP, Publication Paper Business Area, tel. +358 2046 21343      
Lauri Peltola, Head of Communications and Global Responsibility, tel. +358 2046 21380                                                                           
Ulla Paajanen-Sainio, Head of Investor Relations, tel. +358 2046 21242

About Stora Enso

Stora Enso is a global paper, packaging and wood products company producing newsprint and book paper, magazine paper, fine paper, consumer board,industrial packaging and wood products. The Group is the world leader in forest industry sustainability. We offer our customers solutions based on renewable raw materials. Our products provide a climate-friendly alternative to many non-renewable materials, and have a smaller carbon footprint. Stora Enso is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Index. Stora Enso employs some 27 000 people worldwide, and our sales in 2009 amounted to EUR 8.9 billion. Stora Enso shares are listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki (STEAV, STERV) and Stockholm (STE A, STE R). In addition, the shares are traded in the USA as ADRs (SEOAY) in the International OTCQX over-the-counter market.