Nearly five months into a pivotal year, International Paper is advancing a sweeping transformation strategy marked by a major acquisition, targeted mill closures, and an intensified focus on operational efficiency. …

The construction of Empire Recycled Fiber mill in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania is scheduled to commence this fall. The work on the mill project had started almost a year ago. The financing for the project is expected to close during Q3 2020. The construction works may take 12-14 months, thus gearing up for a 2022 startup. Upon full operations, the plant will employ approximately 110 full-time manufacturing employees. According to company press release, the mill will be constructed at an investment of $125 million. The facility will take in over 500,000 tons per year of recovered fiber and produce almost 440,000 tons per year of recycled paper pulp to be used as raw material by paper manufacturers.

Zume, the sustainability solutions company creating economically viable substitutes for single-use plastics, today announced a partnership with Solenis, a leading global producer of specialty chemicals. They are open-sourcing a PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) replacement for food packaging manufacturing to food manufacturers and CPG brands across the global market. To see the open-source process, go to: zume.com/pages/freefromPFAS. In conjunction, Zume is announcing it will no longer manufacture any products that contain PFAS from its California packaging facility, effective immediately, and the company is collaborating with its global partners to ensure that all production globally is PFA-free by the end of 2021. “Open-sourcing our PFA-free solution creates a path for brands across the world to remove plastics and harmful chemicals from their consumer packaging and single-use goods,” said Zume CEO and Chairman Alex Garden. “Brands have made pledges to remove PFAS and this new launch will enable them to deliver on their promises.”