March 2026 - Midland | Packaging, Paper, Performance

March 2026

MIDLAND Features Exciting New Products at Dscoop Edge

See MIDLAND’s New Products in Action at Booth #776 in Aurora CO March 8-10, 2026 Innovative and sustainable, MIDLAND launches compelling new products which fulfill unmet needs in the market. MIDLAND’s booth #776 is a “must” on your list of companies to see at Dscoop Edge 2026. Stop by our booth and learn how these new products will give you a competitive advantage and boost your bottom line.

America’s second Sphere set to rise at National Harbor in the D.C. Metro

March 5, 2026
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A smaller-scale construction of the Sphere entertainment venue in Las Vegas may soon be taking shape across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital. Sphere Entertainment Co., the State of Maryland, Prince George’s County, and Peterson Companies recently announced their intent to develop a new Sphere venue at National Harbor, a premier destination in the Washington, D.C. Metro. It will be just the second Sphere in the U.S., and first to utilize a smaller-scale design model. It will hold 6,000 seats, making it about one-third the size of the Las Vegas Sphere.

Packaging Outlook 2026: Trends Driving Tomorrow’s Growth

Sustainability Reigns Supreme For Ryan Bennett, product manager at Minneapolis-based Meyers, a PRINTING United Alliance member company, sustainability is something customers are looking for. “It used to be, you stood out if you were a sustainability leader, but now it’s kind of the starting point,” Bennett says. “You have to start there and then innovate.” A Need for Speed Another trend shaping the packaging and label industry going into 2026 is the demand for shorter runs and quicker lead times. Bennett says more and more brands are adopting this mindset. “Industry standard for the printing industry is usually three weeks from PO, and people are doing anything to push that just to get to market quicker,” he says. “There’s a ton of stuff that drives that.” Managing the Supply Chain The supply chain has made headlines this year, with tariffs being threatened, levied, and reduced seemingly at random throughout 2025. But supply chain has been top of mind for converters for longer. Preparing for What’s to Come Looking forward, the biggest concern on Bennett’s mind is labor. “The one thing that we do see that is a challenge — not even next year, but going into the next decade — is the aging workforce,” he says. “The workforce for printing seems to be getting older and older.”

EU Circular Economy Act: Packaging organizations debate Single Market protection

Packaging industry groups call for the Circular Economy Act to strengthen the EU Single Market and harmonize circular packaging rules. The European Environmental Bureau warns that market priorities must not weaken national environmental measures or waste-reduction policies. Debate centers on recycling targets, prevention, reuse policies, and recycled-content rules as the EU shapes future circular economy legislation.

AAA Fuel Gauge Report

March 5, 2026
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Key Currency Exchange Rates

March 5, 2026
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Why ‘Always Be Closing’ Is Bad Advice

For years, sales advice has glorified the close. ABC. Always Be Closing. We’ve all seen the movie clip. And many leaders still ask for more closing techniques, better closing lines, stronger closing pressure. Here’s the problem: In complex print sales, closing is rarely the real issue. If your team isn’t winning as often as they should, the breakdown is almost always upstream. It’s in prospecting. It’s in discovery. And most often, it’s in qualification. When your team slows down and qualifies hard — around pain, budget, internal alignment, and decision structure — closing becomes the natural next step. It feels collaborative, not confrontational. Predictable, not pressured.

Abercrombie & Fitch has strong year; to open 30 new stores

Abercrombie & Fitch maintained its momentum in the fourth quarter fueled by another strong performance from Hollister, and marked its 13th consecutive quarter of growth. The apparel retailer hit a key milestone in 2025, surpassing the $5 billion sales mark for the first time. It also continued to expanding its footprint, growing square footage by 4% year over year. For 2026, Abercrombie expects sales gains of 3% to 5% operating margin in the range of 12% to 12.5%, and net income per share in the range of $10.20 to $11. The company ended the year with 829 stores, including 523 Hollister stores and 306 namesake stores.

Ross Q4 sales jump, cites ‘very strong start’ to spring season; to open 110 stores

Ross Stores Inc. ended its year on a high note with better-than-expected earnings and sales amid traffic gains, and provided an upbeat outlook. The off-price giant added 90 stores during fiscal 2025 (80 new Ross Dress for Less and 10 DD’s Discounts), including its first-ever locations in the New York Metro area and Puerto Rico. The retailer is picking up the pace slightly this year, with plans to open 110 new stores, including 85 Ross stores and 25 DD’s Discounts.

Done Deal: Levi Strauss completes sale of Dockers

Dockers is under new ownership. Levi Strauss & Co. said is has closed its sale of the Dockers brand to Authentic Brands Group. The $311 million deal was first announced in May 2025. “The completion of this transaction sharpens LS&Co.’s focus on the Levi’s brand and Beyond Yoga, simplifying the portfolio and strengthening the company’s structural profitability,” the denim giant stated. Under the terms of the agreement, Authentic Brands will own Dockers’ intellectual property. The company has signed a licensing agreement with its long-standing partner, Centric Brands, which will serve as the operating partner for Dockers across key categories in the U.S. and Canada.

New RoRo traffic in the port of Piteå reduces emissions-SCA

Starting on 1 October 2026, SCA will implement changes to its sea transport using RoRo vessels (Roll-on/Roll-off) by reducing speed, increasing vessel load factors, and adjusting how the ports in Umeå and Piteå are used. One effect of these changes is that emissions from the vessels will be reduced by approximately 40 percent. Today, the vessels operate three times per week – twice to Kiel and once to London and Rotterdam. Under the new structure, there will be two weekly departures: once per week to Kiel and once per week to London and Rotterdam. The change means that the vessels will operate at a slower speed of 11–12 knots, compared with the current approximately 15 knots. Furthermore, the vessels will have a significantly higher load factor for northbound cargo. Southbound cargo that does not fit will be transferred to other solutions.

Brands find a partner for reducing plastic, improving recyclability and strengthening climate performance – with MM Group.

Across the UK, regulatory frameworks, retailer expectations and science-based climate targets are motivating brands to view fossil-based materials in the rear-view mirror. Circularity – once a strategic ambition – has become a commercial and operational priority. MM Group is supporting this shift with recyclable monomaterial cartonboard solutions designed to function within established paper and board recycling systems. By reducing plastic content in complex laminates and barriers, these formats simplify material structures while maintaining required strength, stability and product protection. By increasing the percentage of recycled fibres in packaging’s material mix, designers further strengthens circular material flows, supporting responsible resource use at industrial scale.

Smurfit Westrock creates retail store made entirely from cardboard

Smurfit Westrock joined forces with Spanish fashion brand Ecoalf to create a store made from 100% paper and cardboard. Ecoalf specialises in turning materials such as plastic bottles, rejected industrial cotton and discarded fishing nets into clothing. The brand tasked Smurfit Westrock, which also has circularity at its core, to create a permanent retail store as inherently sustainable as the products on sale. The beautifully designed new shop, which is located in San Sebastián, Spain, features fully recyclable kraft paper walls and corrugated furniture produced in the Smurfit Westrock Sorpel and Cordovilla plants. It also runs on electricity from renewable energy sources. “We are very proud to open our first store built entirely from paper and cardboard. At Ecoalf, we work every day to minimize our impact on the planet, not only through the garments we design, but also through the spaces we create,” said Javier Goyeneche, Founder and President of Ecoalf.

Target sales fall as its ends ‘challenging’ year;’ new CEO cites ‘momentum’

Target Corp.’s sales slump continued in the fourth quarter amid falling revenue and store traffic even as its adjusted earnings easily topped forecasts. But the discounter, which is looking to turn things around new CEO Michael Fiddelke, gave an upbeat sales outlook and noted that its sales and traffic accelerated in the last two months of the quarter. Fiddelke, who took the reins of the company on Feb. 1, also struck a positive regarding the current quarter. “Target saw a healthy, positive sales increase in February, serving as an important milestone on our path back to growth this year, and reinforcing my confidence in the momentum we're building and the future we're creating together,” Fiddelke said.

Toyo Ink Europe launches low-migration UV inks for food packaging

Toyo Ink Europe, the European energy-curing inks division of Japan’s Artience Group, has introduced a complete lineup of UV curable inks consisting of low-migration and low-energy solutions designed for food-safe packaging. The solution was developed to meet migration limits as mandated under the German Printing Ink Ordinance (GIO). Toyo Ink aims to create innovations that exceed the key safety benchmarks in Europe before they become mandatory. “Toyo Ink Europe’s GIO-compliant inks combine low-migration chemistry with low-energy UV/LED curing to deliver strong, consistent color, excellent adhesion on flexible substrates, and low odour characteristics for food packaging,”

Retail brands want their tariff money back

Major apparel retailers are among those that have filed lawsuits specifically for refunds, with interest, related to IEEPA since the Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments, per court filings reviewed by Retail Dive. Those companies include Kohls Inc., PacSun, J Crew Group, Uniqlo’s U.S. entity and Abercrombie and Fitch Trading Co.

Ahlstrom to Close Pulp Mill and Two Paper Machines at Former Consolidate Mill in Stevens Point Wisconsin

Ahlstrom on Feb. 27 filed a WARN letter with Wisconsin's Department of Workforce Development stating that it plans to close the pulp mill and two paper machines — M2 and M3 — at its mill site located at 100 Main Street, Mosinee, Wisconsin. The closings will take place or begin starting on June 30, 2026. In the letter, Ahlstrom said, "We expect the closing of the Pulp Mill and the M2 and M3 paper machines to be permanent in nature. This closing will involve cessation of all operations and termination of the identified areas. The number of affected employees is approximately 21 salary and a significant number of hourly positions that will not be certain until after effects bargaining."

PCA CEO says $5.2B worth of investments will pay off in 2026

Packaging Corporation of America CEO Mark Kowlzan detailed the impact of investments over the last decade, where energy projects are set to occur, and his optimism for nearshoring. Packaging Corporation of America’s $5.2 billion worth of investments in its mills and box plants over the last decade — at a time when it says many competitors didn’t commit to such investments — is paying off now, said CEO Mark Kowlzan on Feb. 26 during the Bank of America Securities 2026 Global Agriculture and Materials Conference. “The industry hasn’t recapitalized at the rates that we have,” he said. Kowlzan said he predicted in 2018 that “if you were not prepared to take care of your own technical and engineering needs, your own capital spending needs, you would be out of business probably in 20 years,” he said. “That was, say, eight years ago. And look what’s happening to the industry.”

International Paper CEO pulls back the curtain on planned geographic split

International Paper wants to “liberate” its “two regional powerhouses” with the planned split into one North America and one Europe-focused company, CEO Andy Silvernail discussed Thursday morning at the Bank of America Securities 2026 Global Agriculture and Materials Conference. “When I joined the company, my goal was to turn this into exclusively a packaging business,” said Silvernail, who became CEO in 2024 following a background in private equity and other manufacturing and technology companies. IP accomplished that with the $1.5 billion sale last year of its global cellulose fibers business, he said. While IP has good positions in both the North America and EMEA markets, “they really don’t have anything to do with each other,” he said. “That really started my thinking around then they shouldn’t be together.”

Retail sales posted 3.7% growth in 2025

Holiday shopping and events such as Prime Day and Black Friday made up for lackluster spring and summer sales performance at retail, moving overall retail sales up by nearly 4%, according to a 2025 Recap Report from Colliers Retail Market Intelligence. Volume growth, however, softened meaningfully (often below 1%) due to increasingly cautious consumer behavior. Shopper reliance on promotions, credit card usage, and value channels “underscored a consumer who remained active — yet highly selective,” read the report. Consumers were guarding their pocketbooks last year. Foot traffic was highest at discount and dollars stores, with a 5% year-over-year rise to nearly 320 million visits.

How the Shelf Got Smarter and Our Jobs Got Easier

When you work in a Walmart store, you learn that every minute matters for customers wanting to get in and out quickly and for associates juggling dozens of tasks to keep things running smoothly. That’s why digital shelf labels, or DSLs, have been such a meaningful upgrade in our stores. Today, roughly 2,300 Walmart U.S. locations are already using digital shelf labels, and we expect this technology to be chain-wide within the next year. For our associates, that expansion can’t come soon enough.

Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia was proof that leadership might not always be something you choose

Even if you don’t sign up for the position, you still might have to take the leadership seat. The recent passing of Bob Weir, The Grateful Dead’s longtime rhythm guitarist and songwriter, sparked a conversation on leadership in a recent gathering. Although Weir held the band together for decades, his death inevitably turned the discussion to the shadow he often stood in—that of the band’s creative center, Jerry Garcia. Garcia was the band’s natural leader. However, he never wanted or took that seat. (A move I certainly can relate to, but that’s another column for another day.) A strong distaste for authority and decision-making meant leadership in a vacuum. That meant organizational dysfunction, financial chaos, a lack of direction, and other fundamental issues. This was all despite making music that has endured for decades and inspired future generations. Garcia’s problems aren’t unlike the problems many leaders today face. Leadership may be something you didn’t ask for. But sometimes, you have to face the music.

Direct Mail Elevation and the Art of Interruption

Have you ever had a piece of direct mail in your hands, maybe for a campaign that you did for a customer, or simply received at home, that really stopped you in your tracks? Maybe it made you notice it for some physical quality. Or a blazing headline across the front. Or even a clever use of marketing technology. That’s the power of interruption, that voice in your head that says, “Hold up, I’ll get my kid from soccer practice in a second. Let’s see what’s in this envelope.” Our routines and conversations, whether we have them with others or ourselves, can be interrupted by anything. A barking dog, a crying baby, a smoke alarm — or a well-crafted direct mail piece. The challenge is how to interrupt. Even in a less-crowded mailbox, it’s not enough to simply show up and hope to be noticed.

Sheridan Launches Digital Select™ — The Next Era of Flexible Short-Run Printing

Sheridan, a leading provider of print and publishing solutions, announced the launch of Digital Select™, its proprietary next-generation print-on-demand (POD) solution designed to give publishers greater flexibility in short-run and ultra-short-run production. Powered by Sheridan Select™, Sheridan’s proprietary automated central print management system, Digital Select™ enables publishers to print from 1 to 2,500 copies with expedited turnaround times, professional-grade quality, and dedicated service support. As publishers continue shifting toward zero-inventory and digital-first strategies, the need for flexible, reliable short-run production has grown. Digital Select addresses that need by allowing publishers to print exactly what they need, when they need it — reducing warehousing costs, minimizing forecasting risk, and keeping titles continuously available.

3D printing investment enhances Amcor’s global design capabilities

Amcor, a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging solutions, has installed a state-of-the-art additive manufacturing system, also known as 3D printing, at its Innovation Center in Barcelona, Spain. Part of Amcor’s Rigid Packaging Division, the center will leverage this advanced technology to accelerate design and development. This latest investment means that all five of Amcor’s centers for rigid packaging solutions – which in addition to Barcelona are located in Muttenz, Switzerland, Evansville and Manchester in the USA, and Shanghai, China – now have 3D printing facilities. This will enable the centers to cooperate globally in the design and delivery of consumer- and patient-centric rigid packaging across a wide range of markets, including health, beauty and wellness, nutrition and food & drink. 3D printing allows creative concepts and subsequent CAD drawings to be quickly turned into physical models and prototypes from which important assessments can be made in areas such as aesthetics, functionality and ease of manufacture. Sample packs can also be produced for initial consumer research and feedback. This can greatly speed up the development process, enabling packs to be brought to market quickly and cost-effectively.

QUAD Postal, Paper & Logistics update: February 2026

In brief: Losses deepened at the U.S. Postal Service in the first quarter of FY 2026. Severe winter storms have tightened freight capacity across multiple U.S. states, and a threat to delay the opening of an important new bridge connecting Detroit with Windsor, Ontario, is injecting additional uncertainty into the logistics industry. Paper companies continue to raise prices amid production declines, while paper availability is also being affected by winter storms. Tariffs under the Trump administration continue to evolve following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision invalidating the administration’s emergency tariffs.