Effective with shipments on or after May 20, 2018, Navigator North America will be increasing prices by 5% to 7% for: Navigator Premium Inkjet, Soporset Premium Opaque Offset (Text & Cover & Digital) in sheets and sSheeter rolls and all cut-size office papers including Navigator, Pioneer and Discovery. Also implementing a freight surcharge of $2.00/cwt for shipments to CO, NM, OR, WA, NV and AZ and a $4.00/cwt freight surcharge for shipments to ID, UT, WY, MT, SD and ND.

Metsä Group’s innovation company Metsä Spring Ltd has made an equity investment in Innomost Ltd, a startup converting forest industry side streams into high-value bioactive products. The financing round totals approximately EUR 5 million, consisting of private investments and public financing from Business Finland and ELY Centre for Central Finland. Metsä Spring is participating in the round with Innovestor Technology Fund and other private investors. Innomost intends to produce valuable ingredients for the cosmetics and personal care industry, as well as for other industrial applications. Metsä Group has several mills, which may provide birch bark for the production. The company’s present product portfolio includes betulin, suberin, birch charcoal powder and birch bark powder. These ingredients can be used in different cosmetic product categories, including skincare, hair care, body care, decorative cosmetics and oral care. Especially betulin and suberin have also other potential industrial uses. The Finnish skincare brand Lumene has launched a couple of cleansing products with Innomost ingredients.

The Board of Directors of the Europac Group has approved its 2017 annual accounts, which recorded a net profit of 78 million euros, 59.4% up on 2016. Aggregate sales increased by 10.9% to 1,186 million euros, Aggregate sales increased by 10.9% to 1,186 million euros, while consolidated sales reached 868 million euros, 8.4% more than a year ago. Consolidated EBITDA amounted to 158 million euros, 25% up on the 127 million euros of the previous year, while recurring EBITDA totalled 147 million euros, 19.3% up on the previous year. The difference between consolidated and recurring EBITDA is mainly due to the extraordinary effects of the sale of the packaging factory in Tangier and the logistics operator at the port of Viana do Castelo, as well as settlement of the guarantees linked to the acquisition of the paper and packaging factories in Rouen (France) in 2008. In this context, the EBITDA margin rose by 2.4 percentage points to 18.2%, while EBIT amounted to 106 million euros, 37.1% up on the previous year.