Smurfit Kappa announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Pusa Pack S.L., a bag-in-box packaging plant located in Onda, close to Castellón in the Valencian region. Pusa Pack S.L. specialises in the manufacture of large-capacity flexible bags, sized from 200 to 1500 litres ,which are used for the storage and transport of bulk food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and other liquid and semi-liquid products. Pusa Pack will be integrated into Smurfit Kappa’s Bag-in-Box operations in Spain. Commenting on the acquisition, Thierry Minaud, CEO of Smurfit Kappa Bag-in-Box, said: “Heavy-duty packaging is evolving towards more environmentally friendly solutions. We increasingly see the trend of companies moving away from plastic or stainless steel intermediate bulk containers (IBC) in favour of much more sustainable corrugated solutions which have a considerably lower carbon footprint.

In an era where environmental consciousness is at the forefront of consumer and corporate agendas, the packaging industry is undergoing a profound transformation. Around the world industries are strengthening their focus on sustainability and methods to reduce environmental footprints. With the rising awareness of environmental issues like plastic pollution and deforestation, businesses are turning to recycled pulp packaging to meet their needs. Recycled pulp, derived from post-consumer waste paper, offers a sustainable alternative to traditional packaging materials like plastic and virgin paper. By diverting waste from landfills and reducing the demand for new raw materials, recycled pulp helps conserve natural resources.

The Coalition for Fair Trade in Shopping Bags (the "Coalition") applauds the final determinations announced today by the United States Department of Commerce ("Commerce") that imports of paper shopping bags into the United States from Cambodia, China, Colombia, India, Malaysia, Portugal, Taiwan, and Vietnam are being sold at less than fair value (commonly termed "dumping") and that imports from China and India also are being subsidized. This follows an affirmative final finding of dumping announced in March with respect to imports of paper shopping bags from Turkey. Commerce's investigations concerning these nine countries cover paper shopping bags with handles of any type, whether printed or unprinted. In its final determinations, Commerce concluded that imports of paper shopping bags from each of the nine countries are being unfairly traded. In particular, Commerce found combined dumping margins and subsidy rates of up to 308.13 percent. This means that U.S. importers of paper shopping bags from these countries will have to pay cash deposits to U.S. Customs and Border Protection ("Customs") based on the value of their future imports.