Global consumer brands are facing increasing pressure from governments and consumers to improve their sustainability. Reducing the footprint of packaging and labelling is one critical area where sustainability can be improved. Compensating for today’s unavoidable emissions, UPM Raflatac has announced that RAFNXT+ is the world’s first CarbonNeutral® certified label material. Sustainable packaging and carbon neutral labelling, clearly explaining both the packaging and the labelling’s sustainable components, are increasingly seen as an important step to encourage consumers to purchase more sustainable products. To help their many customers take positive climate action, in 2019, UPM Raflatac announced that RAFNXT+ was the world’s first label material verified by the Carbon Trust to reduce its carbon footprint and help mitigate climate change. Now, the company has taken a step further and has introduced its RAFNXT+, the world’s first CarbonNeutral® label material certified as a CarbonNeutral® product by Natural Capital Partners.

Flambeau River Paper announced the shutdown of its #3 paper machine to be effective immediately. #3 paper machine primarily produces commodity white papers and has been impacted by the ongoing and unprecedented rise in pulp costs coupled with an in-elasticity of commodity paper price. Flambeau River Papers’ #1 and #2 paper machines along with the Flambeau pulp mill, woodyard and utilities will continue to operate uninterrupted on a 24 hour, 7 day a week schedule. It is important to point out that PM 1 and PM 2 produce primarily specialty and value-added papers. The size and capabilities of these two paper machines, along with integrated nature of the mill, make them competitive and well suited for continued success in these markets. Over the last five years the mill has worked hard and qualified propriety specialty papers on these machines. Also manufactured on PM 1 and PM 2 are Flambeau’s other value-added papers such as Torchglow and Glacier Opaque branded papers, custom FDA compliant papers, fluorescent colored papers, wet-strength papers, saturating base stocks, deeply colored papers, watercolor papers, book papers, endleaf papers, lightweight offset papers, converting and drawing stocks. Paper grades historically produced on PM 3 such as Offset Papers and Laser Bond papers will not be part of the productive capacity of FRP as we proceed forward. We will work in concert with you and communicate the status of pending orders and shipments.

Total printing-writing paper inventory levels decreased 2% when compared to May 2022. U.S. purchases of uncoated free sheet (UFS) papers in June increased 2% compared to last June while the inventory level decreased 2% compared to May 2022. UFS imports increased 18% while exports decreased 20% in May 2022. Coated free sheet (CFS) paper shipments increased 2% compared to June 2021 while the inventory level decreased 1% compared to May 2022. CFS imports increased 10% while exports decreased 1% in May 2022. U.S. purchases of coated mechanical (CM) papers in June decreased 16% compared to last June while the inventory level decreased 8% compared to May 2022. CM imports and exports both decreased compared to May 2021, down 16% and 19% respectively. Uncoated mechanical (UM) paper shipments increased 28% compared to June 2021 while the inventory level decreased 4% compared to May 2022. UM imports increased 8% while exports decreased 30% in May 2022.