Following the takeover by Koehler and its then sister company Euler GmbH & Co. KG the mill saw significant investment. This allowed the company to switch from producing punched card to high-quality colored office and specialty card made from 100% waste paper. It’s clear just from looking at the variety of Euler ColorTech paper available that the paper machine 1 (PM 1) developed into a real all-rounder during its 50-year career. One unique feature of the PM 1 is that it can quickly switch between colors and paper types, which is due to the short material and water circulation in the machine’s approach flow, according to Holger Palm, Plant Manager at Koehler Greiz. Another special feature of the PM 1 are the two efficient material processing systems and the resulting duplex paper formation. Thanks to these two systems, two different colored paper webs can be couched in the machine. “We are proud, with the help of PM 1, to have established ourselves firmly on the market for high-quality ‘Made in Germany’ recycled paper over the last 50 years,” says Holger Palm.

Since the initiation of the strategic review process in New Zealand in October 2020, a process made necessary by the secular decline of the publication paper industry and the impact of COVID-19, Norske Skog has explored a range of alternatives for the Tasman mill. Following a careful review, this process has resulted in a decision to close the Tasman mill and a sale of the mill’s assets. Production will cease by 30 June 2021, reducing Norske Skog’s newsprint capacity by approximately 150,000 tonnes per annum. The Tasman mill has only produced very limited volumes during 2021. Norske Skog will honour all redundancy and contractual obligations to the mill’s approximately 160 employees as the workforce is progressively reduced during the third quarter. The decision to close the Tasman mill follows a detailed review over the past eight months. It will address the substantial imbalance between newsprint production capacity and customer demand in the Australasian region. The Tasman mill has been an important contributor to the regional economy in New Zealand for the past 66 years, producing more than 15 million tonnes of publication paper over its lifetime. I would like to thank everyone who has worked at the mill for their outstanding contribution throughout the years, and their significant efforts to ensure a long and good life for the mill, says Sven Ombudstvedt, CEO of Norske Skog.

Kimberly-Clark published its annual report on sustainability, providing the first update on the company's global progress toward its 2030 sustainability strategy and goals, aimed at addressing the social and environmental challenges of the next decade with commitments to improve the lives and well-being of 1 billion people in underserved communities around the world with the smallest environmental footprint. "Reflecting on the past year, I am incredibly proud of how Kimberly-Clark and our people responded in a powerful way when the world needed us the most," said Mike Hsu, Chairman and CEO, Kimberly-Clark. "We know the hard work is still ahead of us, and growing for good means that we must be bolder and act faster to help address the social and environmental challenges facing our customers, consumers, communities, and the planet."