Total Boxboard production in Q1 decreased 1% compared to Q1 2024. The boxboard operating rate was 87.8%, up 1.6 points from the same quarter last year. Solid Bleached Boxboard production in Q1 increased 1% compared to Q1 2024. Solid Bl. Folding - Export production increased 14% compared to Q1 2024. Uncoated Recycled Boxboard production decreased 3% compared to Q1 2024.

Do you remember the first time you heard the term “circular economy”? While it’s been around since the 1990s, Packaging Digest first started reporting on it in 2014, which really isn’t that long ago. Even now, sustainability experts are still trying to fully understand it (think zero waste) and its impact on packaging decisions. Well, think harder. Delivering packaging ideas that support a circular economy will take priority in 2026, says Lauren Ryder, Mintel’s Global Packaging Analyst. Briefly, her predictions for the New Year: • Brands will focus on creating a circular economy for packaging. • Americans will learn from European packaging waste regulations, as the US emphasizes Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). • We’ll need more transparency and consumer education about recycling and circularity. Her advice for packaging professionals? • Collaborate across the industry to develop strategies for the circular economy. • Establish backup suppliers and contingency plans. • Stay connected within the industry through trade shows and networking. • Remain flexible and knowledgeable about industry players.

The challenge of providing packaging that balances resource efficiency with the lowest possible environmental impact is one that every member of the packaging industry is familiar with. There is no ‘perfect’ solution, but Mondi looks at some of the strategies the industry could be employing to help turn the tide of climate change. Last month’s alarming IPCC global climate change report – the first since 2013 – found that human activity is damaging the climate ‘irreversibly’. We don’t need to look further than the recent devastating fires and floods across the globe to know that action needs to be taken now to address climate change and the importance of innovating for a circular economy. So what can we do in the packaging sector to ensure we play our role to mitigate the environmental impact of packaging? Broadly, the value chain from manufacturers, to brand owners, and converters need to innovate and collaborate. Only then can we find the right answers and approach. It’s complicated, though. Mondi, a global leading packaging and paper company, shares its vision of sophisticated packaging strategies for a complex world. click read more for more of the article