GREEN BAY (From news reports) -- Green Bay Packaging Inc. on Wednesday announced a multi-year investment to modernize its 59-year-old pulp and containerboard mill about 40 miles northwest of Little Rock, Arkansas.

The company in a media release said the "substantial investment" will enhance infrastructure at the Kraft mill in Morrilton, Arkansas, on the banks of the Arkansas River, and improve the sustainability of Green Bay Packaging's operations in the state.

"To uphold our commitment to innovation and excellence, we recognize the importance of investing in future technology," said Matt Szymanski, vice president of mill operations, in a media release. "These investments only happen because of our hard-working and loyal workforce and a supportive community in Morrilton, Arkansas."

The company declined to provide details on how much it will spend on the expansion. Arkansas is the latest in a series of expansions and upgrades the company has undertaken since 2018 when it announced plans to build a new paper mill in Green Bay at a cost in excess of $500 million.

New boilers will cut greenhouse gas emissions

The modernization effort will upgrade the mill's existing recovery boiler and biomass boiler infrastructure. Green Bay Packaging also plans to install an electric turbine generator which will substantially reduce the mill's greenhouse gas emissions.

Green Bay Packaging will purchase another 300 acres in Arkansas

The modernization and expansion efforts also will see the company acquire another 300 acres of land near the paper mill. The company also owns more than 250,000 acres of forest land in Arkansas.

The company, as part of the modernization, plans to purchase another 300 acres of land near the mill to accommodate future expansions.