Sylvamo is announcing a senior leadership change for its Latin America division. Tatiana Kalman has been elected senior vice president and general manager, Latin America, effective June 1. Kalman joins Sylvamo from BASF, most recently serving as managing director and senior vice president, Business Unit Personal Care Europe. “We welcome Tatiana to our company. She will help us continue building a better future for our employees, customers and investors,” said Jean-Michel Ribiéras, chairman and chief executive officer.

Resolute Forest Products Inc. announced two separate transactions to grow and improve the competitiveness of its wood products business. Resolute reached an agreement with Louisiana-Pacific Corporation to acquire the latter's 50% equity interest in two joint ventures that produce I-joists in the Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec for $50 million, subject to customary adjustments. Resolute-LP Engineered Wood Larouche Inc. and Resolute-LP Engineered Wood St-Prime Limited Partnership are located in Larouche and Saint-Prime, respectively, and are equity method investments in which Resolute has a 50% interest in each entity. Resolute operates the facilities and its joint-venture partner, Louisiana-Pacific, sells the products. Resolute will enter into agreements with Louisiana-Pacific to continue to serve as the exclusive distributor of the engineered wood products manufactured at the two operations. In a separate transaction, Resolute also announced an agreement signed on February 11 with Boralex (TSX: BLX) for the purchase of a cogeneration facility in Senneterre, Quebec. "The purchase of the 34.5-megawatt cogeneration facility, adjacent to our Senneterre sawmill, builds on our significant investments in the region, including the ongoing project toward a new planer and associated equipment we announced last summer, as well as operational improvements recently completed at our Comtois sawmill. With this cogen, we will maximize the use of biomass from our regional operations, generating green power and providing a platform for future growth and enhanced competitiveness in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region. We are pleased to welcome the 30-plus employees of the cogeneration facility to Resolute," added Mr. Lalonde.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö is dedicated to providing sustainable alternatives to non-renewable plastic materials in everyday life. Two new technologies further this goal, solidifying the important role that paper will play in an eco-friendly future. EnduraFlex™ technology creates stretch in crepe and extensible papers, resulting in a product that can compete with alternative flexible materials. Extensible papers are structured to accommodate stretch; the surface of the paper is not affected by its inherent flexibility. Likewise, crepe papers produced with EnduraFlex™ technology showcase new levels of stretch without compromising appearance or functionality. The end uses of EnduraFlex™ papers are widely variable, ranging from use in construction materials to e-commerce and decorative packaging solutions. HydroSize™ papers offer a sustainable alternative to traditional waterproof materials. Ahlstrom-Munksjö has developed enhanced water resistance within paper fibers and structure, preventing product saturation. The resulting papers are able to repel water and other liquids for long periods. This new technological opportunity provides consumers with a water resistant option in several different areas, including agriculture, gardening and various e-commerce packaging solutions such as cold chain insulated packaging.