Packaging Q3 earnings reports to follow early signs of holiday shopping zeal

Consumers have already shopped pre-holiday sales. Deloitte projected holiday season e-commerce sales growth upwards of 12.8%, while Adobe Analytics expects a boost from “record discounts and flexible payment methods.”

By Maria Rachal • Oct. 18, 2023

Graphic Packaging shuts down Kalamazoo paperboard machine ahead of schedule

The early K3 closure is part of an ongoing optimization plan and is not related to a $600 million federal lawsuit regarding allegations of toxic gas from its plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan, a GPI spokesperson said.

By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 5, 2023

O-I, Sonoco, WestRock among manufacturers with September layoff notices

WestRock announced another 73 layoffs, in Chicago, at the end of the month. Silgan Containers is permanently closing a manufacturing site in Trenton, Tennessee.

By Maria Rachal • Updated Oct. 3, 2023

Coca-Cola bottlers try paper carrier innovations

Graphic Packaging International and DS Smith are among the partners on these plastic-to-paper conversions.

By Maria Rachal • Sept. 27, 2023

Stories from Pack Expo 2023

Catch up on all of Packaging Dive’s coverage from Las Vegas, including shifting trends and industry leaders’ insights on what’s next.

By Katie Pyzyk • Sept. 26, 2023

AI will revolutionize packaging, but strong controls are needed: Pack Expo speakers

“Packaging is the hardest piece to corral” due to the complexity of the sector’s data, said Specright founder and CEO Matthew Wright.

By Katie Pyzyk • Sept. 25, 2023

Post-pandemic renormalization, innovation and sustainability dominate Pack Expo discussions

Speakers from PMMI, the Flexible Packaging Association and the Association for Contract Packagers and Manufacturers weighed in on factors influencing different parts of the packaging industry.

By Katie Pyzyk • Sept. 19, 2023

Packaging companies prioritize sustainability, M&A during ‘turbulent’ year

While paper and packaging companies previously considered sustainability an expense, many now leverage it as a cost reduction and revenue growth strategy, according to analysis by Bain & Co.

By Katie Pyzyk • Sept. 18, 2023

International Paper, Pratt Industries open corrugated packaging facilities

IP’s $100 million Pennsylvania facility will make food, beverage and e-commerce packaging while new machinery at Pratt’s $700 million Kentucky site will produce 1,500 tons of paper per day to be made into corrugated boxes.

By Maria Rachal • Sept. 18, 2023

At-home consumption, ready-to-drink momentum driving canned beverage trends

“The industry really is different than what it was just a few years ago. We’re seeing a difference in how consumers are behaving,” said one leader at Crown Holdings.

By Maria Rachal • Updated Sept. 13, 2023

Smurfit WestRock: The transaction creating a global packaging giant

The combination of Smurfit Kappa and WestRock is expected to make the world’s largest publicly traded packaging company. 

By Packaging Dive Staff • Updated July 5, 2024

Smurfit Kappa finalizes plan to acquire WestRock in 2024

CEOs Tony Smurfit and David Sewell outlined their vision for a leading global packaging company and discussed the outlook for possible divestitures on Tuesday.

By Cole Rosengren , Katie Pyzyk • Sept. 12, 2023

Graphic Packaging closes $262.5M acquisition of folding carton company Bell

The deal, which includes three U.S. converting facilities, grows Graphic’s presence in food service packaging and offers an expansion opportunity into the mailer business.

By Cole Rosengren • Sept. 11, 2023

Packaging innovations: SIG’s cartons give probiotics a long life, Berry Global’s beany redesign

Plus, new products from Printpack and ProAmpac aim to increase packaging sustainability, including through ISCC PLUS certification.

By Katie Pyzyk • Sept. 8, 2023

Sonoco completes $330M deal including WestRock’s stake in RTS Packaging

The transaction, which also includes a mill in Tennessee, adds more than a dozen converting facilities to the company’s portfolio that are focused on protective fiber packaging.

By Cole Rosengren • Sept. 8, 2023

Domtar to ‘indefinitely’ idle Ontario mill, affecting 450 jobs

After years of operating losses at the Ontario mill, the paper and pulp company couldn’t find a way to keep it open, such as through a site sale, it said.

By Katie Pyzyk • Updated Sept. 8, 2023

Berry, Menasha Packaging, Solo Cup plan Illinois layoffs

Companies cited business slowdowns, restructuring and site transformation as reasons for cuts that will impact hundreds of jobs.

By Maria Rachal • Updated Sept. 28, 2023

Inaugural chemical recycling summit exposes challenges, opportunities

Despite challenges, including pushback from environmental groups and government entities, the new industry’s participants are encouraged to “stick it out.”

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 31, 2023

Greif executives discuss downtime at mills, signs of industrial recession

The industrial packaging and paper company also announced it’s acquired a majority interest in ColePak, which it described as the second-leading supplier of bulk and specialty partitions in North America.

By Maria Rachal • Aug. 31, 2023

WestRock to close two plants in October

The Indiana corrugated sheet plant and Pennsylvania folding carton plant closures bring the company’s 2023 layoff total to more than 1,000 employees.

By Katie Pyzyk • Updated Sept. 1, 2023

Packaging innovations: Glenlivet puts a twist on caps, Graphic Packaging’s snappy fiber lid

Sonoco, Hotel Emporium, Healthy Pet and others released new or redesigned packaging, with some saying the innovations are the first of their kind.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 25, 2023

Packaging sustainability looks different to consumers post-pandemic

Hygiene still is important to global consumers, but they differ on views of which packaging substrates are most sustainable, according to a new McKinsey report.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 22, 2023

PFAS class action suit alleges Ahlstrom paper mill contaminated Wisconsin farms

Ahlstrom is accused of spreading PFAS-contaminated sludge on Wisconsin farmland. But the company says it didn’t own the mill at the time in question.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 21, 2023

Ball to divest aerospace business in $5.6B deal

The pending sale of this business unit to BAE Systems will streamline Ball’s operations to solely focus on packaging, which accounted for more than six times its aerospace sales in 2022.

By Maria Rachal • Updated Aug. 17, 2023

Teamsters strike at Amcor facility in Iowa ends with new contract

Local 238 said that workers who help make packaging for products like Capri Sun drinks and Slim Jim meat sticks secured a “historic” wage increase and will head back to work Wednesday after a two-week strike.

By Maria Rachal • Updated Aug. 15, 2023