Materials

  • Sheets of cardboard get folded and stacked by industrial equipment on a manufacturing line.
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    Containerboard prices rise in June following second round of producer hikes

    This is the first time in at least four years that Fastmarkets RISI’s pricing index has recognized the full hike that producers announced for the month. This brings the net increase for 2026 to $100 per ton.

    By • June 22, 2026
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    Katie Pyzyk/Packaging Dive
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    Cannabis packaging supplier P3 Distributing expands from recycling into reuse

    About a year after delving into reuse, the Oregon packaging supplier aims to grow that operation as well as its nearly decade-old recycling business. “Reuse isn’t taking off yet because it needs scale,” said owner Patrick Caldwell.

    By • June 18, 2026
  • Close up of fiber tubes with blue Sonoco logos on them.
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    Retrieved from Sonoco on March 21, 2025
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    URB producers announce second round of 2026 price hikes

    Sonoco, Greif and Cascades cite input cost inflation as a leading cause. But strengthening demand also is a factor for this wave of increases.

    By • June 12, 2026
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    Paper and paperboard production declined in 2025: AF&PA

    Containerboard capacity fell by 5.1% in 2025, but that doesn’t reflect the full impact of facility shutdowns announced last year, the American Forest & Paper Association told Packaging Dive.

    By • June 4, 2026
  • Pilot's store remodels are focused on meal options, including grab-and-go selections.
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    Courtesy of Pilot Travel Centers
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    Prepared food surge in c-stores brings packaging innovations

    As convenience stores offer more fresh food, their packaging needs shift. Packaging companies are exploring forms that maintain food quality, offer versatility and minimize storage space.

    By Shefali Kapadia • May 26, 2026
  • A variety of packaging, including expanded polystyrene foam next to cardboard boxes.
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    US Plastics Pact urged to remove 2 polystyrene items from ‘problematic’ list

    The Polystyrene Recycling Alliance calls for the changes based on its newly released end market survey that shows the items are recyclable. USPP told Packaging Dive it’s reviewing this new information.

    By • May 22, 2026
  • A TemperPack gusseted mailer made with WaveKraft material
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    Maria Rachal/Packaging Dive
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    Deep Dive

    The envelope, please: Sustainability fuels e-commerce mailer innovation

    E-commerce customers’ growing demand for mailers in place of boxes is driving packaging companies to invest in production expansions and innovations, including at Pregis, Sealed Air and TemperPack.

    By , • May 21, 2026
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    Polystyrene recycling group cites medical, transport packaging as key end markets

    A study conducted by Resource Recycling Systems on behalf of the Polystyrene Recycling Alliance identified 81 companies and 119 total facilities that handle expanded or extruded polystyrene foam.

    By Megan Quinn • Updated May 20, 2026
  • A variety of lightbulb-shaped plastic containers that have branding for Lytt alcoholic beverages.
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    Courtesy of Boston Beer Co.
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    Packaging innovations: Lytt’s lit containers, Duni’s paper is the new black

    Plus, Sappi North America and CJ Biomaterials introduce products that resist grease in foodservice applications.

    By • May 15, 2026
  • Delivery person in orange uniform handing over clear plastic bags containing takeout food boxes to a customer at their home entrance.
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    Alamy
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    Deep Dive

    Plastic packaging converters raise red flags over Iran war impact

    Polyolefins are bearing the brunt of supply disruptions and price increases, and renormalization isn’t expected until 2027 at the earliest. Experts from ICIS, Emerald Packaging and others weigh in.

    By • May 14, 2026
  • Cut fruit in plastic packaging on store shelves
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    Recycled food-contact materials need regulatory harmonization, UN report says

    “We want to recycle more plastic, but we also want to make sure that by solving one problem we don't create new problems,” said Corinna Hawkes, a leader in the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

    By • May 14, 2026
  • Stacks of upside down paper cups with integrated brown holders.
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    20% of US residents can now recycle paper cups, FPI says

    Paper cup recycling access quadrupled in the last decade, according to the Foodservice Packaging Institute. But more work is needed, including on end markets, as some mills that accepted the material have backed out.

    By • May 11, 2026
  • U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer holds up a document that says "foreign trade barriers."
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    Kayla Bartkowski via Getty Images
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    Packaging, materials groups testify in Section 301 tariff probe

    Representatives from the Can Manufacturers Institute and Association of Plastic Recyclers were among the groups testifying this week about foreign countries’ trade actions that harm U.S. manufacturers.

    By • May 8, 2026
  • Stacks of flattened corrugated boxes at an industrial facility.
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    Katie Pyzyk/Packaging Dive
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    Producers launch second wave of containerboard price increases in 2026

    Cascades is the latest company to join a price hike wave that Smurfit Westrock initiated.

    By • Updated May 8, 2026
  • A person's hands are holding a stack of flat corrugated boxes next to a manufacturing production line.
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    Containerboard production charts steepest decline in years in Q1

    The year-over-year drop is significant but “is not unprecedented,” according to the American Forest & Paper Association. It follows the nearly 10% production capacity cuts announced in 2025, the last of which were finalized this year.

    By • April 28, 2026
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    Permission granted by GreenBlue
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    Breaking the ‘boom-and-bust cycle’ in domestic recycled plastic markets

    Ensuring PCR use in more challenging packaging like food-grade pouches can be “way down the road,” said APR Chief Policy Officer Kate Bailey. For now, there’s plenty to do with secondary products and bolstering good policy.

    By • April 27, 2026
  • Two corrugated boxes with red heart symbols on the front are stacked on a doorstep.
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    Courtesy of CVS Health
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    Packaging innovations: CVS Health swaps foam, PPG coats pet food cans

    Plus, Amcor goes lighter on sauce caps and UPM Specialty Materials works with Felix Schoeller on a barrier solution for flexible food packaging.

    By • April 24, 2026
  • Plastic Coca-Cola bottles lined up inside a refrigerated case
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    Navigating PCR procurement? A new tool could help.

    Given recent shifts in recycling markets, the Northeast Recycling Council hopes the PCR Material Demand Hub will help organizations with purchasing, explained Executive Director Megan Schulz-Fontes.

    By Marissa Heffernan • April 21, 2026
  • Close up view of stacked corrugated cardboard.
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    Containerboard prices rise in April for second consecutive month

    Fastmarkets RISI recognized another bump that brings producers closer to achieving the $70 per ton hikes they announced earlier this year.

    By • April 21, 2026
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    Colorado mass balance debate underscores industry faultlines

    The American Chemistry Council withdrew a lawsuit, but the larger question on recycled content verification remains.

    By Marissa Heffernan • April 17, 2026
  • Close-up view of the edge of flattened corrugated boxes, showing the corrugating medium between the linerboard layers.
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    Deep Dive

    Don’t call it a comeback: Can containerboard still rebound in 2026?

    Uncertainty from the Iran war and other factors is harshing the “positive vibe” from early in Q1. Most categories driving box demand aren’t doing well, raising questions about whether Q2 could be a “disaster for containerboard.”

    By • April 8, 2026
  • A large jug of dish soap with Dawn branding on the front and messaging about an easy-pour spout.
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    Courtesy of Procter & Gamble
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    Packaging innovations: Dawn of a new jug, Sunset’s tomato love triangle

    Plus, Blueland adds some plant-based zip to its pouches, PulPac brings plastic-like dry molded fiber to bottle caps, and UFP Packaging launches nail-free crates.

    By • Updated April 6, 2026
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    rPET market challenges further impacted by more closures, trade pressures

    Incentives and trade transparency could help thermoformers and other packaging producers, according to speakers from WM, Republic Services and the Association of Plastic Recyclers.

    By Megan Quinn • March 30, 2026
  • A variety of paper, plastic, glass and metal packaging on green artificial turf.
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    Packaging stocks among hardest hit by Iran war: Morningstar

    Morningstar tracked a packaging stock sell-off over a three-week period. Jefferies also noted this week that packaging manufacturers’ stocks are “significantly underperforming” the S&P 500.

    By • March 26, 2026
  • Close-up view of flat, stacked corrugated boxes.
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    Spring surprise? Containerboard prices reverse course in March.

    For the second consecutive month, some observers reported surprise at a containerboard pricing index’s movement. The March increase reinforces expectations that producers will target another price hike this year.

    By • March 23, 2026