NEW YORK (News release) -- Mercer International Inc. reported second quarter 2026 Operating EBITDA of negative $21.0 million, a decrease from negative $20.9 million in the same quarter of 2025 and positive $7.8 million in the first quarter of 2026.

In the second quarter of 2026, net loss was $76.0 million ($1.13 per share) compared to $86.1 million ($1.29 per share) in the same quarter of 2025 and $52.0 million ($0.78 per share) in the first quarter of 2026.

Mr. Juan Carlos Bueno, Chief Executive Officer, stated: "Our pulp sales realizations remained steady this quarter, as continued economic uncertainty delayed market recovery. Our second quarter results were also weighed down by rising European fiber costs, driven by regional supply shortages and intense competition for sawmill residuals from energy producers. As a result, we recognized a non-cash impairment of $29.0 million primarily against pulp and fiber inventory.

In response to ongoing economic uncertainty and weak market conditions, we have been actively evaluating strategic alternatives and are proactively taking steps to enhance our liquidity and strengthen our balance sheet. As previously announced, our existing special committee of independent directors continues to oversee, review, and evaluate the development and implementation of potential alternatives to improve our capital structure.

To assist in these matters, we have engaged advisors to review strategic alternatives and broader financing initiatives. As part of this process, we have entered into discussions with holders of our 2028 and 2029 senior notes, as well as other stakeholders across our capital structure, regarding potential financing and other liquidity-enhancing transactions. These discussions remain ongoing and we continue to evaluate a range of alternatives with the objective of achieving a comprehensive solution that supports our long-term business plan. No agreement has been reached with any stakeholder group, and there can be no assurance the discussions referenced above will result in any particular transaction or that any transaction, if pursued, will be completed.

We continue to pursue our "One Goal One Hundred" program and remain confident that we will achieve our targeted $100 million in cost savings and operational efficiencies by year end. With $13.0 million in cost savings realized this quarter, we have achieved a total of approximately $54.0 million since its launch in April 2025. The program is part of our broader initiatives to improve our balance sheet and preserve cash, including efforts to reduce capital expenditures and optimize working capital.

Like many industry participants, Mercer Torgau has been impacted by global economic uncertainty and heightened raw material and energy costs. To address these dynamics, the facility has taken various comprehensive measures to enhance operations, including the installation of new scanning technology to increase production of higher-value, on-grade dimensional lumber and expand exports to the U.S. It also recently announced additional strategic actions designed to align its capacity and operational profile with market conditions. These include a reduction in its workforce and adjustments to its product portfolio. An initial reduction of approximately 100 contractor positions was completed in July 2026, and Mercer Torgau expects an overall workforce reduction of approximately 350 positions as the initiative is completed in stages through the second quarter of 2027.

Looking ahead, ongoing geopolitical conflicts, including in the Middle East and Ukraine, are expected to exert inflationary pressures on fiber, freight and other production costs for our pulp and solid wood segments. While direct tariff impacts have been immaterial to date, we continue to monitor events as indirect impacts reshape global supply dynamics. On the supply-side, we are starting to see responses to prevailing market conditions, supporting our current expectation of more balanced markets toward the end of 2026.

Per unit fiber costs for our pulp and solid wood segments increased in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the first quarter of 2026, driven by supply constraints and strong demand in Germany. For the third quarter of 2026, per unit fiber costs are expected to remain elevated at our German mills with a slight increase at our pulp mills. This increase is driven by continued strong demand for wood as an energy source as a result of ongoing geopolitical conflicts. We expect to see a modest decrease in per unit fiber costs at our sawmills and Canadian pulp mills as regional curtailments improve their fiber supply.

We had relatively stable pulp production in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the first quarter. However, we strategically reduced production at our German mills by approximately 26,000 tonnes due to fiber constraints and expect these reductions to continue into the third quarter. We had no annual planned maintenance downtime in the second quarter of 2026 and expect a total of 40 days of annual planned maintenance downtime at our pulp mills in the third quarter of 2026.

In the second quarter of 2026, overall pulp prices were relatively steady compared to the first quarter of 2026 as weak demand was balanced by scheduled maintenance and curtailments. Looking ahead to the third quarter, we expect softwood pulp prices across all our markets to be slightly lower as the positive impacts of recent supply reductions are offset by lower seasonal demand. We expect hardwood pulp pricing to modestly decrease in the third quarter as global supply constraints ease.

In the second quarter of 2026, our lumber sales realizations increased compared to the first quarter of 2026 driven by low customer inventory levels and sawmill curtailments in the U.S. While supply also contracted in Europe, continued weak demand limited the positive impact on lumber pricing in the market. Overall demand is expected to remain weak in the third quarter of 2026 due to high U.S. interest rates and continued European economic headwinds. We are, however, seeing an upward trend in North American lumber prices driven by lower customer inventory levels and capacity curtailments. As conditions improve, we expect a strong recovery, with pent-up demand and supply constraints driving further price increases. The order book and commitments for our mass timber business are robust, at approximately $151 million at the end of the second quarter, anchored by large-scale data center infrastructure projects. We expect these contracts to begin contributing to our results as they commence in late 2026 and into 2027."

Mr. Bueno concluded: "As economic headwinds and geopolitical volatility persist, our immediate priorities are managing costs, maintaining our liquidity, and optimizing our capital structure. The proactive steps we are taking have the goal of strengthening our balance sheet and positioning us to capitalize as market conditions improve. "

Total revenues for the second quarter of 2026 remained relatively steady at $460.3 million compared to $453.5 million in the same period of 2025, as higher sales realizations for our solid wood products and higher pulp sales volumes were mostly offset by lower pulp sales realizations.

Costs and expenses in the second quarter of 2026 were generally flat at $519.3 million compared to $511.9 million in the same period of 2025. In the second quarter of 2026, higher per unit fiber costs were mostly offset by the impact of lower planned maintenance downtime and the benefits of our cost reduction initiatives. In the second quarter of 2026, costs and expenses included a non-cash impairment of $29.0 million primarily against pulp and fiber inventory as a result of low pulp prices and high fiber costs. In the same period of 2025, costs and expenses included a non-cash impairment of $11.0 million against hardwood inventory at our Peace River mill.

In the second quarter of 2026, Operating EBITDA was negative $21.0 million compared to negative $20.9 million in the same period of 2025. In the second quarter of 2026, higher per unit fiber costs and lower pulp sales realizations were mostly offset by the impact of lower planned maintenance downtime and the benefits of our cost reduction initiatives. In the second quarter of 2026, Operating EBITDA included a non-cash inventory impairment of $29.0 million compared to $11.0 million in the same period of 2025.

In the second quarter of 2026, Segment Operating EBITDA for our pulp segment was negative $12.7 million compared to negative $10.3 million in the same period of 2025. This primarily resulted from lower pulp sales realizations and higher per unit fiber costs. These adverse effects were partially offset by the impact of lower planned maintenance downtime, the benefits of our cost reduction initiatives, and the positive foreign exchange impact from a stronger dollar. In the second quarter of 2026, Segment Operating EBITDA also included a non-cash inventory impairment of $26.0 million compared to $11.0 million in the same period of 2025.

Pulp segment revenues, comprised of pulp, energy and chemical revenues, in the second quarter of 2026 modestly decreased to $325.1 million from $332.3 million in the same period of 2025 due to lower pulp revenues.

Pulp revenues in the second quarter of 2026 modestly decreased to $303.3 million from $313.7 million in the same period of 2025 as a result of lower sales realizations, partially offset by higher sales volume.

In the second quarter of 2026, the third-party industry quoted average list price for NBSK pulp in Europe increased from the same period of 2025 primarily due to supply constraints. In the second quarter of 2026, the third-party industry quoted average list price in North America and net price in China for NBSK pulp both decreased compared to the same period of 2025. The decrease was primarily due to weak demand driven by the current economic climate and, in China, an oversupplied paper market. Our average NBSK pulp sales realizations in the second quarter of 2026 decreased by approximately 10% to $682 per ADMT from $758 per ADMT in the same period of 2025. This decrease was primarily due to lower pricing in North America and China, while higher list prices in Europe were offset by increased customer discounts.

In the second quarter of 2026, the third-party industry quoted average list price in North America and net price in China for NBHK pulp both increased from the same period of 2025, primarily due to global supply constraints. In the second quarter of 2026, average NBHK pulp sales realizations increased by approximately 6% to $607 per ADMT from $575 per ADMT in the same period of 2025, driven by higher prices in all our markets.

Total pulp sales volumes in the second quarter of 2026 increased by approximately 6% to 450,329 ADMTs from 426,731 ADMTs in the same period of 2025 driven by the timing of sales.

Energy and chemical revenues in the second quarter of 2026 increased by approximately 17% to $21.7 million from $18.6 million in the same period of 2025. This increase was primarily due to higher sales realizations, partially offset by lower sales volumes.

In the second quarter of 2026, cost and expenses modestly decreased to $362.9 million from $368.7 million in the same period of 2025. This decrease was primarily due to lower planned maintenance downtime, our cost reduction initiatives and the positive foreign exchange impact from a stronger dollar. These decreases were partially offset by higher per unit fiber costs and higher pulp sales volumes. In the second quarter of 2026, costs and expenses included a non-cash inventory impairment of $26.0 million compared to $11.0 million in the same period of 2025.

Total pulp production in the second quarter of 2026 was relatively flat at 455,769 ADMTs compared to 457,117 ADMTs in the same period of 2025. Our German pulp mills reduced production during the quarter in response to high fiber prices, but this was offset by there being no planned maintenance downtime in the second quarter of 2026 compared to 23 days (approximately 33,200 ADMTs) at our pulp mills in the same period of 2025. Pulp production at our German mills is expected to remain at reduced levels in the third quarter of 2026 due to ongoing high fiber costs.

Overall average per unit fiber costs in the second quarter of 2026 increased by approximately 14% compared to the same period of 2025 primarily due to higher costs in Germany. These higher costs were driven by reduced supply, and strong demand for wood as an energy source as a result of ongoing geopolitical conflicts. For the third quarter of 2026, per unit fiber costs for our German pulp mills are expected to slightly increase due to continued strong demand. For our Canadian pulp mills, per unit fiber costs are expected to modestly decrease as supply improves.

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^{*Operating EBITDA is not a measure of financial performance under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP") and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. See page 6 of the financial tables included in this press release for a reconciliation of net loss to Operating EBITDA.}