Leading Stories

Sealed Air Corporation, a leading global provider of food and protective packaging solutions, announced Nov. 17 that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by funds affiliated with CD&R, a leading private investment firm with deep experience in the industrial and packaging industries, in an all-cash transaction with an enterprise value of $10.3 billion.

The Compton facility closure will impact 125 employees, while the Louisville facility closure will impact 93 employees.

Following the strategic review, the Board of Directors of Stora Enso has decided to initiate preparations for the separation of the Swedish forest assets business of Stora Enso into a new publicly-listed company through a statutory partial cross-border demerger, expected to be completed during the first half of 2027. All shares in the new company would be wholly owned by Stora Enso's shareholders.

Stora Enso is initiating a strategic review of its Central European sawmills and building solutions operations. The review, to be carried out in 2026, will cover one business unit of Wood Products business area, including seven sawmills in Austria, Czechia, Poland, and Lithuania, and further processing units with three cross-laminated-timber (CLT) mills, as well as wood procurement, and international sales and distribution operations. Whilst the business in scope has a strong position in an attractive market, it does not bring strategic or operational synergies for Stora Enso's core renewable packaging operations.

US-based private equity company Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) is considering the potential acquisition of Sealed Air, the US packaging manufacturer known for bubble wrap.

The change negotiations cover the entire staff of Lappeenranta, Rauma, Renko and Vilppula sawmills, approximately 350 people.

PaperWorks Industries Inc., a leading North American producer of 100% recycled paperboard and folding carton packaging, announces the acquisition of Color Craft Graphic Arts ("Color Craft"). Founded in 1929 and based in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Color Craft is a producer of packaging for food, beverage, and household goods.

Essity has entered into an agreement to acquire Edgewell Personal Care's feminine care business, including the brands Carefree, Stayfree and o.b. in North America and Playtex globally. The purchase price for the assets amounts to USD 340m (approximately SEK 3.2bn) on a cash and debt-free basis.

The estimated need for personnel reductions in the change negotiations was up to 315 employees, of which 155 were in Finland. The change negotiations in Finland have now concluded, resulting in a total reduction of 150 positions.

International Paper has announced a proposal to close five sites in Germany, affecting approximately 500 roles, as part of its strategic review to enhance efficiency and respond to challenging market conditions.

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson and Secretary of State for Defence Procurement Stephen Fuhr met with forest sector workers in Castlegar, British Columbia, to present Budget 2025 investments supporting Canada's forest industry.

Smurfit Westrock plans to close a Georgia facility and permanently lay off 55 employees, according to a worker adjustment and retraining notification filed with the state on Nov. 10.

Mohawk Industries Chief Financial Officer James Brunk will retire on 1 April 2026, concluding a 20-year tenure during which the company became a global flooring leader. Nicholas Manthey, the company's current Vice President of Corporate Finance and Investor Relations, has been appointed as his successor.

World's largest pulp supplier, Suzano, has entered into a new collaboration with INSEAD, one of the world's leading graduate business schools.

New Senior Leadership Announced for EMEA/APAC and Americas.

Citing a drooping softwood lumber demand, compounded by higher duties and additional tariffs that have reached 45 per cent for U.S. markets, West Fraser Timber announced Thursday its plans to permanently shutter both its Augusta, Ga., and 100 Mile House lumber mills by the end of 2025.

The hiatus for Washington County's largest employer is due to a downturn in the global pulp market and comes after increases in tariffs on Canadian lumber.

Suzano, the world's largest pulp producer, announces its results for the third quarter of 2025 (3Q25), reporting sales of 3.6 million tonnes of pulp and paper combined, a 20% increase on the same quarter last year (3Q24). The positive result is driven by the operations of the Ribas do Rio Pardo pulp mill, inaugurated in 2024, and by the integration of paper production from assets acquired in the United States in October 2024.

In early 2026, a pilot project for carbon capture will be launched at the Värö industrial site. The initiative aims to build knowledge around the technology and explore new business opportunities using biogenic carbon dioxide as a raw material.

Valmet has announced that, starting November 10, the company will begin negotiations aimed at implementing temporary layoffs within its Packaging and Paper business area, as well as units within Global Supply in Finland.

Vice President Darren Pelley says significant rainfall is needed to get back to normal operations at the mill. He says this is financially quite challenging being shut down but Kruger's $700 million transformation plan for the mill, which was announced in July, has now become more urgent.

Over €40m was invested in the brand new site, which will provide packaging solutions for clinical trials and regulated pharma packaging.

LP Building Solutions (LP), a leading manufacturer of high-performance building products, announced that Chief Executive Officer Brad Southern will retire effective February 19, 2026, after leading the company since 2017.

Sonoco said net proceeds will be applied towards repaying existing borrowings.

UPM Energy's ultracapacitor at the Kuusankoski hydropower plant is now operational. The six-megawatt device stores energy and provides balancing power to the electricity grid. The need for fast and flexible balancing power has increased with the growing use of renewable, weather-dependent forms of energy, such as wind and solar power. The investment, announced in August 2024, triples UPM's ultracapacitor capacity and further strengthens the ability of hydropower to balance the electricity grid quickly and efficiently.