Finnish food and beverage company Paulig is testing UPM BioVerno naphtha, made from tall oil, as a raw material for its packaging. The first test batch with Paulig Café New York has been successfully packed and released to market. UPM BioVerno is produced from tall oil, a residue of pulp making, in the UPM Lappeenranta Biorefinery. In the new laminate tested over the half of the material used in the Paulig coffee packs is tall oil-based. “We are committed to replacing fossil-based raw materials with renewable ones. Paulig’s initiative to use our wood-based UPM BioVerno as a raw material in the laminates of their coffee packs is a further step towards creating more circular and sustainable packaging,” says Panu Routasalo, Vice President of UPM Biofuels.

Peak season means a surge in order volume, rising shipping costs and tighter timelines. Limited labor and warehouse space further heighten the challenges. For many operations and supply chain leaders, efficiency, speed and accuracy dominate the agenda. Meanwhile sustainability goals often fall by the wayside. Yet this is precisely when packaging choices are most visible and impactful. During the 2024 holiday season, U.S. consumers spent a record $241.4 billiononline—an 8.7% increase from the prior year. At the same time, customer expectations for responsible packaging have never been higher: in one study, over 60% of consumers said they’d be willing to pay more for a product with sustainable packaging. And 77% of executives report that sustainability initiatives increase customer loyalty.  A key challenge, however, is that sustainability practices are often deprioritized amidst peak season demands. The solution is to embed sustainability into everyday operations, so it delivers value automatically. With the right approach, companies can cut waste, lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and strengthen brand loyalty—all without adding extra work when it matters most.

Fourth quarter sales of $5.0 billion were in line with prior year, with organic sales up 3 percent, driven by a 2 percent increase in price from ongoing revenue growth management programs and a 1 percent favorable product mix, with volumes in line with the prior year period and volume trends improving for the fourth consecutive quarter. In North America, organic sales increased 3 percent over last year, including increases of 5 percent in Personal Care and 3 percent in Consumer Tissue that were partially offset by a 3 percent decrease in K-C Professional. Outside North America, organic sales were up 5 percent in developing and emerging (D&E) markets. Organic sales in developed markets (Australia, South Korea and Western/Central Europe) grew 1 percent versus prior year. Gross margin improved by 210 basis points to 34.9 percent, with higher net revenue realization, cost savings and favorable input costs partially offset by unfavorable currency impacts and higher other manufacturing costs. Fourth quarter operating profit was $670 million compared to $712 million last year, resulting in an operating margin of 13.5 percent.