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The PM40 closed Friday, 14 August 2026, at 5574.

Get the latest PM40 updates by listening to the weekly Nips show and the PM40 Daily Show on Pulp & Paper Radio International.

The PM40 closed 14 August 2026 up 2.7% from the 15 August 2025 level.

In this issue of Disconnected Comparisons, we evaluate Greif and Nine Dragons.

The Trump Administration's executive orders cut across dozens of industries. This searchable tool breaks down the orders and their impact.

Ladies and gentlemen, the first class of inductees to the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame in Appleton, Wisconsin was inducted more than two decades ago in 1995, and today, more than 150 papermaking innovators and legends have been enshrined. This month, we profile the late Tad Bretting, who was president and CEO of C.G. Bretting Manufacturing Company in Ashland, Wisconsin, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.

What is your decision point in driving vs. flying for business trips?

AFT (Aikawa Fiber Technologies) is pleased to announce the successful completion of a pulping process rebuild and screening upgrade at the Papiro Sarda S.r.l. mill in Sardegna, Italy, further strengthening a long-standing partnership between the two companies.

Comact, a global leader in high-performance OEM wood-processing technologies, announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Checkmate Precision Cutting Tools, a manufacturer and service provider of bandsaws, circular saws, industrial knives, and complete saw shop solutions with operations across New Zealand and Australia.

Kadant Black Clawson LLC, a subsidiary of Kadant Inc. (NYSE: KAI), recently announced the successful startup of a new green liquor system at Södra's mill in Mörrum, Sweden.

New Koenig & Bauer presses are equipped with the latest automation and integrated AI that expect to yield a 40% increase in efficiency and capacity

The scope of supply covers control of paper temperature, moisture balance, total moisture and warp through an interface with the corrugator's existing heating elements.

Amcor, a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging solutions, has won two awards for two initiatives. Amcor Circularity Polymers won Gold in the Sustainability and Impact Awards 2026, organized by UK B2B publication Packaging News, Amcor's Exclusive stick for haircare brand Cut By Fred picked up a Silver award in the Beauty and Personal Care category.

Felix Schoeller has received the 2026 Pinnacle Award in the "Technology" category for its new photo paper, RubyPaper.

Program marks 25th anniversary, surpassing $3 million in scholarships for children of team members

Metsä Board, a leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards and part of Metsä Group, has once again achieved the highest Platinum level in the EcoVadis sustainability assessment.

MM Board & Paper has expanded its portfolio of machine-finished kraft papers with the launch of MM POLAR® PLUS. The new innovation delivers on customer demands for high-performance, renewable options for single-use bags, fast food packaging, food contact materials, and more.

Mondi's innovative concept combines a corrugated outer box with a recyclable, laser-marked flexible packaging format.

Kimberly-Clark cut annual sales and profit forecasts on Tuesday and said false claims about its diaper quality in China will continue to be a problem after hurting second-quarter sales.

Sales of $531.8 million increased 1.2% year over year, and 1.7% on an organic basis

Its second quarter highlights include implementing uncoated freesheet price increases with our customers across all regions.

Net sales $6.4 billion, up 26% largely driven by Berry acquisition and pass through of higher raw material costs

Boise Cascade Company reported net income of $57.3 million, or $1.63 per share, on sales of $1.8 billion for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026, compared with net income of $62.0 million, or $1.64 per share, on sales of $1.7 billion for the second quarter ended June 30, 2025.

Operating income of $58 million (compared with $81 million in Q1 2026 and $36 million in Q2 2025)

Conifex Timber Inc., a Canadian lumber producer with a sawmill and biomass power plant in Mackenzie, British Columbia, reported a second-quarter net loss of C$10 million, compared with C$8 million a year earlier, as reduced operating rates and higher U.S. trade costs affected its business.

New grade expands customers and markets served across coated and uncoated recycled paperboard applications.

GreenFirst wishes to announce that Joel Fournier has tendered his resignation as CEO of GreenFirst for personal reasons. Mr. Fournier will continue in his current role until October 31, 2026 to ensure there is a seamless transition. GreenFirst will commence a search process for the new CEO and will keep the market updated.

Industry-wide production curtailments over the past several years and seasonal demand accounted for much of the lumber price increase.

Net result after tax more than doubled to EUR 35.6 mn in the first half of 2026 (previous year: EUR 15.2 mn)

Siding net sales decreased by $19 million, or 4%, to $441 million

GAAP: Net sales of $857 million, Operating income of $22 million

Implementing operational restructuring at the Torgau facility to align its capacity and operational profile to current market conditions, with the goal of ensuring an economically viable future for the facility

Metsä Group's second-quarter sales fell 3% to Euro 1.38 billion, while comparable EBITDA rose 89% to Euro 129 million from Euro 68 million a year earlier. The comparable operating loss narrowed to Euro 3 million from Euro 37 million.

Second quarter net income attributable to Rayonier of $19.1 million (or $0.06 per diluted share), pro forma net income of $31.5 million (or $0.10 per diluted share), and Adjusted EBITDA of $123.7 million.

The company posted a net loss of 11 million Swedish kronor, or SEK 0.04 per share, for the quarter. This compared to a larger loss in the prior-year period, which included a substantial impairment charge.

SCA will increase prices for all Kraftliner grades in Europe by €100 per tonne. The new prices will apply from September 1, 2026.

Suzano, the world's largest pulp producer, announces its results for the second quarter of 2026 (2Q26), reporting higher prices, stronger volumes and improvements in Adjusted EBITDA and operating cash generation compared to the previous quarter.

Domtar's Clarion™ POS 408 paper successfully qualified with Toshiba's TCx® Print S10 printer, giving retailers greater confidence in deploying sustainable printing solutions.

Powered by Infosys Topaz Fabric to enable intelligent, agentic IT operations

Domtar has agreed to pay a $1.5 million civil penalty and invest at least $2.6 million in environmental improvements at its Ashdown pulp and paper mill under a proposed settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment.

The settlements resolve the State's claims in years-long litigation against E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Co. (now known as EIDP, Inc.) and other DuPont-related entities, and separate litigation against 3M.

Since the May 26 accident, new scrutiny of Nippon Dynawave shows Washington state and federal authorities could have required the mill to fix known problems that instead languished, and done more to ensure dangerous chemicals did not put workers at risk.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation is building a 50,000-square-foot pilot facility in Yuma, Arizona, representing a capital investment of over $100 million, with the project well under construction and expected to create 50 full-time jobs, according to the Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation (GYEDC).

The new Muoto fibre packaging production line will be located within the Metsä mill site in Äänekoski, next to the existing Muoto demo plant, and it will start up in 2028.

UFP Industries, Inc. announced plans to establish a new UFP Packaging manufacturing facility in Cherokee County, South Carolina, expanding its Structural Packaging capacity and strengthening its ability to serve national industrial customers with custom, value-added packaging solutions.

Antalis has extended its foothold in Europe with the purchase of Speidel Verpackungen, a German manufacturer of custom-made packaging solutions.

This acquisition strengthens the industry-leading position of Iconex, expands manufacturing capabilities and capacity, and creates new growth opportunities for customers and team members.

Acquisition expands the Pregis fiber-based packaging portfolio into temperature-sensitive shipping and strengthens its cold chain platform.

The transactions comprised the sale of approximately 36,000 acres of timberlands in southwest Washington for $145 million and the concurrent acquisition of approximately 57,000 acres of timberlands in Alabama and Texas for $146 million.

The Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority has today, on August 17, 2026, approved a supplement to the Finnish language demerger and listing prospectus concerning the partial demerger of UPM-Kymmene Corporation ("UPM") and application of the shares in WISA Group Plc ("WISA") to be admitted for trading on the regulated market of Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. UPM will publish the supplement to the prospectus on behalf of WISA.

Since last year, Interfor and other lumber companies have been grappling with the impact of U.S. tariffs on softwood lumber.

Nippon Paper Industries President Akira Sebe on Wednesday lamented the deaths of nine people in an accident in which a chimney collapsed at the company's plant in Kumamoto Prefecture following last week's major earthquake.

The paper recycling industry is highly efficient at recovering, processing, and returning fiber to the manufacturing supply chain. Alongside those gains, one problem has grown more frequent and severe: catastrophic fires in stored recovered paper, old corrugated, and mixed fiber.

Investment by National New Markets Fund Will Create 90 Local Jobs

The recent announcement by Finch Paper that it will close its pulp mill in Glens Falls, New York, underscores the urgent need for alternative solutions capable of utilizing low-grade wood and forestry waste across Vermont and throughout the Northeastern US.

Sonoco Products Company, a global leader in high-value metal and paper consumer and industrial packaging, announced it is aligning its Global Consumer Packaging businesses under a single integrated leadership structure reporting to Ernest Haynes, President, Global Consumer Packaging.

Stora Enso Business Unit Oulu employs approximately 900 people across its board mill, port operations and sawmill in Oulu, and its sawmills in Veitsiluoto, Oulainen and Kalajoki. If implemented, the planned closure would only have a minor impact on the business unit's wood consumption.

Another step in Sofidel's energy transition journey: a new photovoltaic system has become operational at the Sofidel America facility in Circleville, Ohio, USA.

BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group (BTG Pactual TIG) and Conservation International announced that native ecosystem restoration is now underway across more than 20,000 hectares of Brazil's Cerrado biome, marking a significant acceleration of the firms' Latin American reforestation strategy.

On Monday, Aug. 3, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in coordination with the Washington State Department of Ecology, began a time-critical chemical removal action at the dormant Cosmo Specialty Fibers pulp mill in Cosmopolis, the EPA announced.

The award comes after the company's acquisition of Potsdam Specialty Paper, a move that state officials said helped preserve 70 jobs that otherwise could have been lost.

90 workers will be affected by the curtailment, with operations expected to halt by September and resume in November.

Hundreds of jobs have been lost as Canfor closes mills around B.C. in moves company says are 'gut-wrenching'

The shutdown will focus on digester internal inspection and repairs, pulp machine optimization work, and recovery boiler inspection. The work will bring 475 to 500 contractors and specialized trades to the Peace River area for the duration of the outage.

The man was reportedly unconscious and not breathing after being shocked by machinery at the facility.