CEPI, the organisation representing the European paper industry has opened its 18^th edition of its annual event European Paper Week welcoming nearly 350 movers and shakers from the across the European paper industry and the four corners of the globe.

This year’s programme set the tone for its positive agenda ahead as we enter 2017. At this year’s event attendees will be provided with the opportunity to meet CEPI’s new Director General, Sylvain Lhôte as well as its Chairman, Peter Oswald (CEO Mondi Group, Europe & International Division).

The highlight of this year’s event, the high-level session includes notable speakers such as Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commentator of the Financial Times, Lucrezia Reichlin of the London Business School, Signe Ratso, Director, DG TRADE, the EIB as well as Moody’s. The discussion will reflect on global economic trends and the investment implications for the European paper industry.

As an indication of the strides forward industry has made on the innovation agenda this year’s event will open with ten young researchers showcasing their industry-changing ideas. Three of them will be in line for the prestigious global Blue Sky Innovation Award to be launched for the first time in 2017.

This will be complemented on Wednesday by a session dedicated to the 2017 prospects for the energy market and a joint session with our partners from RISI on the global market outlook ahead. During this discussion we will be joined by Innventia who will present their groundbreaking"Cellulose-Based Society" report.

On top of this together with our trade union partners Industriall we will discuss the need for policymakers to tip the balance in favour of supporting the skills and competences necessary for the bioeconomy transition. Most significantly we will address the outcome of European Commission study demonstrating the financial burden of EU regulations and the detrimental impact on industry’s ability to reinvest and to ensure industrial transformation happens in Europe.

Finally our new Director General will launch the discussion on the way forward for our 2050 Roadmap outlining industry’s vision to move forward on the path towards a low-carbon, circular bioeconomy by 2050 in Europe, for Europe. This roadmap will be immediately open for contributions from stakeholders.

Robust all round solution offers reliable measurement under demanding conditions

KROHNE, Inc. now offers the OPTIFLUX 4000 electromagnetic flowmeter, which is ideal for pulp and paper industry applications, including chemical dosing, bleaching, coloring, and black liquor processing. The OPTIFLUX 4000 offers reliable measurement under demanding conditions, including temperatures up to 356°F, pressures up to 36,259 pound-force per square inch (psi), and solids contents as high as 70 percent.

With its robust fully welded construction, full bore pipe construction, absence of moving parts, and wear- resistant liner materials, the OPTIFLUX 4000 is an excellent choice for harsh environments or with aggressive and abrasive media like those found in pulp and paper applications.

Part of the OPTIFLUX line of trusted and accepted flow sensors for process applications, the OPTIFLUX 4000 has rugged construction that extends equipment lifetime. With corrosion resistant and leak tight electrodes, the OPTIFLUX 4000 offers good corrosion, erosion, and abrasion resistance. It is available with a wide choice of housing and flange materials, including stainless steel, duplex, and 6mo. To deal with the challenging noisy process fluids like extremely viscous pulp stock, low noise electrode options are also available. The OPTIFLUX 4000 features bi-directional flow metering and provides extensive diagnostic capabilities.

KROHNE offers a range of sizes for the OPTIFLUX 4000, as well as special construction options, and customized inner diameters and thicknesses. External coatings are available for subsoil installation. Also available are optional protective coating paint specifications in accordance with SO 12944. Every meter leaving the factory is wet-calibrated on KROHNE’s traceable calibration rigs. 

About KROHNE

KROHNE is a worldwide technological leader in the development, manufacture and distribution of accurate, reliable and cost-effective measuring instruments for the process industries. KROHNE focuses on forming partnerships with its customers to provide them with the most reliable and innovative solutions available in the marketplace. For more information about KROHNE’s complete line of measuring instrumentation for the process industries

Sonoco, one of the largest diversified packaging companies, has awarded a Sonoco Sustainability Star Award to its Alpha facility in Beavercreek, Ohio, for driving landfill reduction through improved waste stream management.

The Alpha plant implemented a plan to divert from waste streams skiver dust, a byproduct of the paperboard container manufacturing process. Skiver dust is created when cans are cut, similar to sawdust. The plant began diverting this waste to a local solidification partner at the beginning of the year, and has been diverting 40 tons of skiver dust per month from landfills since March 2016.

“The Alpha plant has found a creative way to significantly reduce our waste to landfill at that facility, while also reducing costs to the company,” said Mike Pope, general manager and president, Sonoco Recycling. “Their work is a great example of how to find solutions with multiple benefits to the company and the community – environmental, financial and operational.”

A recycling leader with locations and expertise worldwide, Sonoco Recycling annually collects more than 3 million tons of old corrugated containers, various grades of paper, metals and plastics. In addition, the Company has experts who provide secure, reliable and innovative recycling solutions to residential and commercial customers. Currently, Sonoco Recycling operates four material recovery facilities (MRFs) serving more than 125 communities in which curbside-collected residential as well as commercial materials are processed. The Company also operates recycling programs, which identify waste reduction opportunities that reduce operating expenses for many of the largest consumer product companies in the United States.

About Sonoco:

Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging, and displays and packaging supply chain services. With annualized net sales of approximately $5 billion, the Company has 20,000 employees working in more than 300 operations in 35 countries, serving some of the world’s best known brands in some 85 nations. For more information on the Company, visit our website at www.sonoco.com.

Metsä Board has been recognised by CDP as a global leader for its actions and strategies to manage water more sustainably. This is the second consecutive year that Metsä Board has been positioned on the CDP Water A List, where only 4% of the companies disclosing were accepted. 

The CDP Water A List was announced last year for the first time. Metsä Board was honoured to be one of the eight companies on the 2015 list. This year 607 companies disclosed their water management to CDP, and Metsä Board is one of only 24 global companies to make the 2016 Water A List.

“We’re delighted to have again earned a spot on the CDP Water A List among the world’s best performing companies on water security,” says Mika Joukio, CEO of Metsä Board. “Metsä Board’s mills are located in one of the most water rich areas in the world. However, we still use our water resources efficiently and seek continuously new ways to reduce its use. Responsible water management is a vital part in our resource efficiency programme as reduced water use improves our energy and production efficiency.”

For several years now Metsä Board has had extensive development projects to further improve water use and material efficiency. Metsä Board uses only surface water in its production, and around 98% of the used water is returned to its source after careful cleaning. This ensures that the environment surrounding Metsä Board’s mills is not affected by the water used.

Furthermore, Mika Joukio was proud to have been invited to take part in a discussion panel at the CDP Global Water Forum on 15 November in Marrakesh where the water results were revealed. The CDP Water A List has been produced at the request of 643 investors with US$67 trillion in assets. It is available on CDP’s website.

Metsä Board is a leading European producer of folding boxboards and white linerboards made from fresh fibres. Its lightweight paperboards are developed as the perfect fit for consumer goods, retail-ready and food service packaging. The pure fresh fibres Metsä Board uses are a renewable resource, traceable to origin in northern forests.
 
 The global sales network of Metsä Board supports customers worldwide, including brand owners, converters and merchants. In 2015, the company’s sales totalled EUR 2.0 billion, and it has approximately 2,600 employees. Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

Burrows Paper Corporation has just announced that it has agreed to sell its Packaging Division operations to Novolex™ and sell its Paper Division operations to Twin Rivers Paper Company.  Burrows is a privately owned, worldwide supplier of paper and packaging solutions, specializing in innovative light weight paper applications and new product development. Based in Little Falls, New York, Burrows’ associates operate four paper mills and six packaging converting facilities. The company has been in operation for nearly 100 years. The transactions are expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2016.  

Novolex™ is one of North America’s leaders in packaging choice and sustainability, serving retail, grocery, food service, hospitality, institutional and industrial markets. It will acquire the operations located in Franklin and Mt. Vernon, Ohio; Reno, Nevada; Ft. Madison, Iowa; Kerkrade, the Netherlands; and Heshan, China. Twin Rivers Paper Company, headquartered in Madawaska, Maine, is an integrated specialty paper company that produces specialty packaging, label and publishing papers, as well as dimensional lumber. Twin Rivers will acquire operations located in Little Falls and Lyonsdale, NY, and Pickens, Miss. 

“Our decision to sell Burrows to these two great companies is the right one for the continued success of our customers, employees and communities,” said Phil Paras, President and Chief Operating Officer of Burrows Paper. “I’m confident that our people are positioned to truly prosper and grow with Novolex™ and Twin Rivers. For nearly a century, we have taken great pride in our ability to develop long-term relationships with customers based on trust and the ability to provide for, and anticipate, their needs through innovation and initiative. I know that will continue under new ownership. The story of Burrows and its rich history is moving on to its next chapter and I am confident in what the future holds.”

Stan Bikulege, Chairman and CEO of Novolex™ said, “As we look forward to the integration of the Burrows Packaging Division team and business into the Novolex™ family, there’s a lot to be excited about. From the more than 400 new and talented team members who will join us to the technology and global reach of Burrows, this acquisition will enhance our ability to serve our customers and expand our horizons in many ways.”

“Twin Rivers is a nimble, high quality, integrated forest products company and we are very pleased to acquire the Burrows Paper Division and welcome its skilled associates,” said Bob Snyder, CEO of Twin Rivers Paper Company. “As a market leader today in the lightweight packaging, publishing and label markets, this transaction strategically builds upon that foundation and is fully consistent with our business’ focus, short and long-term.”

About Burrows Paper Corporation

Burrows Paper Corporation operates four paper mills and six packaging converting facilities domestically and abroad. Burrows maintains the highest standards and holds certifications from ISO 9001, HACCP, Forest Stewardship Council, Sustainable Forest Initiative and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification. Burrows incorporates nearly 100 years of papermaking experience into its food packaging line of products and is one of only a few companies capable of producing light weight printable tissue paper. Burrows offers machine glaze and machine finish paper grades for a variety of uses from medical and food packaging to innovative industrial applications. For information, visit www.burrowspaper.com.

About Novolex™

Novolex™ is one of North America’s leaders in packaging choice and sustainability serving retail, grocery, food service, hospitality, institutional and industrial markets. With the addition of Burrows’ packaging operations, the company has 7,000 employees and 49 manufacturing plants in North America, one each in Europe and China and two world-class plastic recycling facilities. Headquartered in Hartsville, SC, the Company’s brands include Hilex Poly, Fortune Plastics, Novolex™ Custom Film & Bag, Duro Bag, Bagcraft, De Luxe, General Packaging, International Converter, and Heritage Bag.  For more on Novolex™ and its sustainability leadership, visit www.Novolex.com.      

About Twin Rivers Paper Company

Twin Rivers Paper Company, headquartered in Madawaska, Maine, is an integrated specialty paper company that produces specialty packaging, label and publishing papers, as well as dimensional lumber. Targeting its manufacturing capabilities to specific market segments, Twin Rivers creates competitive advantages through nimble innovation and product development, service excellence and an unfailing commitment to quality. The company’s brands include Acadia® packaging products, Alliance® label products, and Pharmopaque® pharmaceutical papers. Twin Rivers is one of the largest employers in Northern New Brunswick and Maine with over 1,000 full-time employees. Twin Rivers is owned jointly by Atlas Holdings LLC and Blue Wolf Capital. For more information, visit www.twinriverspaper.com

Paulina Ekvall has been recruited as the new Senior Vice President Corporate Human Resources at BillerudKorsnäs. She was most recently at Arla Foods Sweden, where she was Senior HR Director and successfully oversaw the organization’s move towards greater customer and employee focus.

Paulina Ekvall has a solid background as an HR manager in various multinational environments, including at Unilever, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer Consumer Healthcare. Paulina was Senior HR Director at Arla Foods Sweden for the past few years. Her work attracted recognition in 2015 when she won that year’s HR Manager in Human Growth Award.

“We are delighted to have been able to recruit Paulina Ekvall to the post of HR Director at BillerudKorsnäs and wish her a warm welcome to us. BillerudKorsnäs is a company with great ambitions and we know that the realization of these ambitions requires that all our employees drive change every day, on both large and small scales. I therefore look forward to incorporating Paulina's experience and energy into our future development,” says Per Lindberg, President and CEO of BillerudKorsnäs.

BillerudKorsnäs provides packaging materials and solutions that challenge conventional packaging for a sustainable future. We are a world-leading provider of primary fibre based packaging materials and have customers in over 100 countries. The company has seven production sites in Sweden, Finland and the UK and about 4 200 employees in over 13 countries. BillerudKorsnäs has an annual turnover of about SEK 22 billion and is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. www.billerudkorsnas.com

Brazilian and Chilean pulp companies' excellent position on the production cost curve supports investment grade ratings despite negative market trends, according a new Fitch Ratings report.

"Because of very productive forests, a favorable climate for growing trees, and modern pulp mills, these pulp producers enjoy low costs," said Fernanda Rezende, Director at Fitch. "The plantations are extremely efficient by global standards and give Latin American producers sustainable advantages in the cost of fiber and transportation between forest and mills."

Pulp prices are the main drivers for profitability, cash flow generation and leverage.

Leverage increased across the sector, due to high levels of investments in recent years. Soft pulp prices and economic weakness in Latin America negatively affected results of some companies, postponing the deleveraging process.

Key concerns include soft pulp prices, oversupply of market pulp, and economic weakness in the region, which could weaken Brazilian and Chilean pulp producers' credit profiles by pressuring cash flow generation and leverage.

Events such as leverage-financed merger and acquisition activity could drive negative rating actions.

For more information, a special report titled "Latin American Pulp, Paper and Forest Products Peer Comparison" is available on the Fitch Ratings web site at www.fitchratings.com.

Related Research

Latin American Pulp, Paper and Forest Products Peer Comparison (Low Cost Position Supports Investment Grade Ratings Despite Negative Trends)
https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/889554

Anna Belfrage has been appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Södra. The position of CFO also includes responsibility for purchasing and IT. She will assume her position on 16 January 2017 and will serve as a member of Group Senior Management, reporting to President and CEO Lars Idermark.

Anna Belfrage (54) holds an MBA from Lund University and her most recent position was CFO and Interim President of Beijer Electronics, which she left in 2015. She also served as CFO at ABS Group, part of Cardo Group, between 2004 and 2010, and prior to that held various positions in industrial companies such as Dresser Wayne Fueling Systems, Obducat, Lund Eastern Energy and Åkerlund & Rausing.

“Anna Belfrage has in-depth industrial and financial experience that will benefit Södra’s continued efforts to strengthen our competitiveness, growth and long-term profitability,” said Lars Idermark, President and CEO.

“I am looking forward to joining Södra and to contributing to the company’s journey into the future,” said Anna Belfrage.

Anna Belfrage will succeed Jörgen Lindquist, who was appointed President of the Södra Wood business area in spring 2016. Anna Belfrage will be based in the company’s head office in Växjö.

With private and municipal composting programs becoming more mainstream, as well as more companies turning to more sustainable packaging designs, composting is now easier than ever. The next step in the crusade to reduce waste? The Sustainable Packing Coalition (SPC)’s launch of the new How2Compost label program.

How2Compost is an on-package label that informs consumers that packaging is certified compostable, offers directions on appropriate composting, and includes the URL how2compost.info for further information.

Image credit: Sustainable Packaging Coalition

The How2Compost label was developed by SPC in conjunction with the Biodegradable Products Institute(BPI), the leading compostable packaging certification program. By looking for the How2Compost label, consumers can now more easily identify packaging and products that are certified to compost in industrial composting facilities. Every package featuring How2Compost is either certified compostable by BPI, or contains a certified product so consumers can trust that it has gone through required testing and is third-party verified in accordance with standards related to industrial composting facilities.

How2Compost is an extension of the How2Recycleprogram. Like the How2Recycle label, the How2Compost label is a next generation labeling system that brings harmonization and precision to recovery claims on packaging and is designed in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's guidance over environmental marketing claims. Companies can choose to become a member of How2Compost in order to feature the label on their BPI-certified packaging, to provide additional consumer clarity on the compostability of the various packaging components and related products.

"We have been working diligently over the past two years to bring a thoroughly vetted and consumer-tested How2Compost Label to the marketplace, with the goal of helping composters receive clean streams of material required for appropriate compost manufacturing," explained SPC Senior Manager Anne Bedarf. "As the nationwide focus on food waste and composting increases, the How2Compost Label is poised to provide an important educational tool for the public on not just compostable packaging, but also the value of compost manufacturing infrastructure nationwide."

How2Compost can be used seamlessly next to the How2Recyclelabel on packaging, for instances where a package can either be recycled or composted, or has some components that are compostable and some that are recyclable.

"Compostable products and packaging are continuing to go mainstream, in step with communities and businesses that are diverting food scraps from disposal to composting," saidRhodes Yepsen, Executive Director of BPI. "As such, consumers are becoming more familiar with compostable products at restaurants, sports and music venues, schools, etc., and increasingly on retail shelves. The How2Compost and How2Recycle labels provide a uniform platform for communicating to the public about end of life options, which is particularly critical when the package and product are designed for different recovery streams, one for recycling and the other composting, to ensure they end up in the right collection bin."

Reynolds, makers of Reynolds Wrap® foil, Hefty® trash bags and slider bags, as well as Eco-Products, will be of the first to use the How2Compost label on their products. Reynolds will begin using the label on its Hefty disposable tableware products, while Eco-Products will use it in conjunction with How2Recycle on its compostable product secondary packaging.

"When a compostable product is in a recyclable package, this can easily lead to consumer confusion. We know that most consumers want to do the right thing, they just need clear guidance on how to do it," saidSarah Martinez, Sustainability Maven for Eco-Products. “The How2Compost label is an effective way to help people take part in waste diversion.”

Environmental experts have proposed the Tien Giang People’s Committee to revoke Taiwanese-invested Dai Duong paper project located in Long Giang Industrial Park due to risks of environmental pollution, according to newswire Tuoitre.

In the petition submitted to the Tien Giang authorities, Le Trinh, deputy head of the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment, said that the paper production industry creates a large volume of wastewater rich in hard-to-treat toxic organic chlorides.

In addition, in case the factory uses chlorine dioxide for pulp whitening, it only helps to decrease the dioxin volume of the wastewater, instead of absolutely removing dioxins.

Trinh added that the wastewater treatment capacity of Long Giang IP is unable to thoroughly treat the toxins. Thus, it is impossible not to worry about the Dai Duong factory, especially when it dumps as many as 4,950 cubic metres of wastewater a day.

On the other hand, professor Duong Van Ni from Can Tho Univesrity said that the operation of the plant may severely impact the water resources of the locality. In recent years the Mekong Delta has been suffering from a lack of freshwater as the plant uses a lot of freshwater.

In response on the experts’ concerns, Weng Sheng Yao, a representative of the project investor Chang Yang Holding, told Tuoitre that the firm will comply with Vietnamese regulations and will pay an especially close eye on wastewater treatment.

Earlier in April, the Tien Giang Management Board of Industrial Zones granted an investment certificate to Chang Yang Holding to develop a paper factory worth $220 million.

The 22-hectare factory will produce duplex and kraft paper as well as products for household use, with a total capacity of 413,000 tonnes per year. The facility is scheduled to come on stream in August 2017. 

The developer will receive a number of incentives. Notably, it will enjoy a preferential corporate income tax of 10 per cent, instead of the normal 20 per cent level, for 15 years after the firm started earning revenue from the factory. The developer will be exempted from corporate income tax for four years from the first year of posting a profit, and a 50 per cent tax cut for the subsequent nine years.

According to the investor, it has yet to complete administrative procedures, including the environmental impact assessment, for building the factory, thus, it will not come into operation on schedule. 

This is not the first time that concerns about environmental pollution arise. 

Earlier in June, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) proposed the government to scrutinise the waste treatment system of Hong Kong-based Lee&Man Paper Group’s $1.2 billion paper project, located near the Hau River in the southern province of Hau Giang, before coming into operation. 

According to the previous plan, the project, including a pulp mill with an annual capacity of 330,000 tonnes and a manufacturing factory with an annual capcity of 420,000 tonnes, will start operation in August, however, as of now, no facilities have come into operation.

A VASEP’s representative was concerned that once the paper factory came into operation, it would use 28,500 tonnes of NaOH per year for paper production, thus potentially discharging massive volumes of NaOH into the Hau River if the factory fails to install a proper waste treatment system. It would cause environmental pollution as well as impact seafood breeding in the country’s key seafood production area.

In July, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) requested the government to call an end to the development of the pulp mill due to concerns over environmental pollution. 

Regarding the paper manufacturing factory, after reviewing the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s inspection reports and judging it compliant with environmental regulations, it will be licensed to start operation.

Speaking at a recent press conference, Lee&Man’s leader said that the firm would only invest in the paper manufacturing factory and suspend the construction of the pulp mill.