Graphic Packaging Holding Company Announces Second $250 Million Acquisition of International Paper’s Minority Partnership Interest

Huhtamaki has received the prestigious Gold Medal from EcoVadis for the fourth consecutive year, placing the company in the top 5% of more than 130,000 rated companies worldwide. The score is based on our performance in the four categories of Environment, Labour and Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement. Compared to last year, our most significant improvements were in our supplier engagement and reporting on our environmental impacts. In 2023, we made significant improvements in reducing waste and GHG emissions as well as increasing our focus on our nature issues. Huhtamaki's external recognition from EcoVadis underscores our commitment to producing packaging that protects Food, People and the Planet. "Receiving the Gold Medal from EcoVadis for the fourth year in a row is a significant achievement that reflects the progress we've made on our sustainability commitments," says Salla Ahonen, Huhtamaki EVP of Sustainability and Communications.

Mondi Paper Bags, part of Mondi Group, a leading global packaging and paper manufacturer, has acquired the paper bag converting lines from National Bag and Egypt Sack, two subsidiaries of Lafarge Cement Egypt, a major cement producer in the country. The acquired production lines will increase Mondi’s capacity by around 150-180 million bags annually and strengthen Mondi's position in the Egyptian paper bag market. Mondi Paper Bags already operates two plants in Egypt and with this acquisition will become a key supplier of paper bags to Lafarge Cement Egypt. "Lafarge Cement Egypt is part of leading global building material company Holcim Group who has been a key global customer of Mondi Paper Bags for years. We are excited to have signed a long-term supply agreement with Lafarge Cement Egypt and to servicing them locally in Egypt. The collaboration will offer Lafarge access to our latest innovations, industry expertise, strong plant network and customer service. Thanks to Mondi’s vertical integration, Lafarge will further benefit from our high quality Kraft paper." Claudio Fedalto, Chief Operating Officer of Mondi Paper Bags

With the rise of e-commerce, many brands are experiencing leakages, costly returns and brand reputation damage when trying to force traditional brick-and-mortar liquid packaging formats through the rigors of the online fulfilment supply chain. Liquibox and WestRock, two leaders in sustainable packaging, present a Ships In Own Container (SIOC) bag-in-box solution for Amazon that delights consumers, reduces waste and ensures products arrive undamaged. The combination of Liquibox's first-to-market recycle-ready Liquipure™ flexible packaging, its wide portfolio of dispensing taps and fitments and WestRock's high impact Meta® box designs, means the most optimal e-commerce liquid format is now within reach for beverage, liquid food and home care brands that want to grow in online retail. Through this partnership, customers have access to a turn-key solution to start selling online in no time that covers everything from packaging, service and testing needs to the filling and mandrel case forming equipment. Bag-in-box is one of the fastest growing segments in the liquid packaging market, expected to reach over 2 billion liters of global volume annually by the year 2024 (source: GlobalData).