The Latest

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    Wine, spirits glass value chain worn down by tariff uncertainty

    Wine and spirits customers charted steep dropoffs in exports to Canada in 2025. The Glass Packaging Institute is partnering with end markets to advocate for a return to more traditional trade authorities.

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    February closure announcements hit hundreds of North American packaging workers

    Packaging manufacturers including Ardagh, Cascades, International Paper and Smurfit Westrock announced a variety of facility and production line closures scheduled to take place in the coming months.

    Updated March 4, 2026
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    Screenshot: Greif/YouTube

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    PCA CEO says $5.2B worth of investments will pay off in 2026

    Packaging Corporation of America CEO Mark Kowlzan detailed the impact of investments over the last decade, where energy projects are set to occur, and his optimism for nearshoring, during a BofA Securities event.

  • A production line seals poultry packages with plastic film made from chemically recycled content
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    Courtesy of ExxonMobil
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    Sealed Air reduced debt in 2025 ahead of acquisition

    Sealed Air released Q4 and full-year 2025 earnings results on the heels of shareholders approving the company’s acquisition by private equity firm CD&R. 

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    Photo illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

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    Tracking packaging mergers and acquisitions in 2026

    Inovar Packaging Group and Millcraft Paper are each expanding in the Midwest with recent deals.

    Updated Feb. 25, 2026
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    Permission granted by Axe
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    Axe redesigns aerosol can to pass the sniff test

    The can’s new propellant technology is the first such change in roughly two decades, according to a Unilever senior manager. It reduces overspraying with components designed to provide targeted product application.

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    Ardagh saw boost for cans, decline for glass in 2025

    Energy drink demand bolstered beverage can shipments in North America, while cuts to glass production hit results on that side of the business. It’s Ardagh’s first earnings report since a recapitalization agreement in November.

  • Close-up view of a printed seal on a brown cardboard box. The black circular stamp includes product details and is from "INTERNATIONAL PAPER" located in "BINGHAMTON, NY." Additional printed text is visible on the right-hand side in large black font.
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    Alamy
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    International Paper CEO pulls back the curtain on planned geographic split

    The company wants to “liberate” the North America and EMEA businesses, CEO Andy Silvernail explained at an event Thursday. IP “overestimated” customers’ desire to strike deals on a global basis, he said.

  • Outside view of an office building with a sign for Cascades paper.
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    Courtesy of Cascades
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    Cascades targeting $100M in additional divestitures for 2026

    The company achieved ahead of schedule its goal of $120 million in proceeds from asset sales and now targets more. Meantime, Cascades continues to navigate tariffs, which is “an ever-moving” situation, said CEO Hugues Simon.

  • A wide shot of Sealed Air's exhibiting area on the show floor of Pack Expo International, with people and machinery throughout
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    Maria Rachal/Packaging Dive
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    CD&R’s acquisition of Sealed Air clears hurdles

    Shareholders on Wednesday approved private equity firm CD&R’s proposed purchase of the packaging company, days after the European Commission gave the thumbs up to proceed.

  • International Paper's new logo.
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    Courtesy of International Paper/Cision
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    International Paper further downsizing in South Carolina

    Another closure in Georgetown will impact 126 employees later this year, as International Paper undertakes other major changes to its business structure.

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    Gen AI could transform packaging pricing: McKinsey

    There was a jump in AI adoption for commercial optimization by packaging companies in 2025. “They are walking the talk in many ways,” said one partner. “Our expectation is that 2026 will be all about at-scale deployment.”

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    Q&A

    Get louder about sustainability progress, Crown leader says

    Packaging sustainability efforts aren’t failing, but more can be done, said Crown’s VP of global sustainability. She described navigating the challenge of absolute targets and tailoring sustainability work to different geographies.

  • Close-up view of the edge of flattened corrugated boxes, showing the corrugating medium between the linerboard layers.
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    February containerboard prices chart ‘surprising’ dip

    Despite production pullbacks and improved demand, one index showed a dip in monthly containerboard prices. This “shocked” some industry participants and could jeopardize certain producers’ planned $70 per ton hikes for March 1.

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    Producers, composters renew push for federal rulemaking on compost

    “This national leadership is needed now more than ever to provide market certainty for the US supply chain,” BPI wrote in a letter to the USDA signed by Georgia-Pacific, the Foodservice Packaging Institute and dozens of others.

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    Ahead of the demand curve? What’s behind the rPET slump.

    A recent spate of rPET facility closures follows a slightly premature ramp-up, said one converter. But renewed investment is needed to ensure “we still have an rPET industry on this continent,” according to NAPCOR.

  • President Trump holding tariff chart during "Liberation Day" announcement on April 2, 2025 in DC
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    Supreme Court invalidates Trump tariffs based on emergency powers

    In a 6-3 decision, the court rejected President Trump's claim that a 1977 law gave him the authority to impose broad tariffs globally.

  • A person stands behind a podium that's in front of a blue background that says The Packaging Conference.
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    Katie Pyzyk/Packaging Dive
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    Takeaways from The Packaging Conference 2026

    Speakers at the February event discussed timely industry topics including M&A, EPR, innovation and market growth.

  • Rolls of paper being printed on industrial machinery.
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    Permission granted by Georgia-Pacific
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    Digital printing poised to ‘mature’ in 2026

    Factors such as brands’ input, artificial intelligence and system interoperability are expected to influence adoption of digital printing for packaging this year, according to a newly released report from Keypoint Intelligence.

  • SunDance flexible packaging manufacturing
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    Courtesy of SunDance
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    South Carolina, Virginia score packaging manufacturing expansions

    Hinton Lumber Products, Georg Utz, Infinity Global and SunDance are growing in the South. Meanwhile, Silgan and Questar Solutions moved their headquarters locally.

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    Multilayer film design meets machine learning

    Research authored by partners from the Bottle Consortium and published in Nature Communications this month aims to challenge the status quo, exploring recyclable alternatives for performance films.

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    Will EPR actually increase recycling?

    Skeptics sparked debate about the value of extended producer responsibility for packaging at The Packaging Conference in Austin, Texas. Perhaps the only clear thing is that a lot is still unclear about the emerging legislation.

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    Retrieved from Sonoco on March 21, 2025
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    Sonoco’s ‘transformation is complete,’ CEO says. What’s next?

    A three-year growth strategy is underway that prioritizes innovation, including artificial intelligence, executives explained during a Tuesday investor event.

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    Domestic markets and policy could help weather rPET woes

    Remedies could include long-term contracts with brands, setting recycled content laws in more states, and investing in reuse and refill, say leaders from The Recycling Partnership, APR, Primo Brands and NAPCOR.

  • A person's hands are seen holding a paper container labeled "granola."
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    Retrieved from Sonoco on February 13, 2026
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    Q&A

    Sonoco settles in after years of change, says new consumer packaging leader

    Ernest Haynes recently took the helm of the company’s newly reworked consumer packaging Americas business unit. He spoke about operating within a simpler organization and helping employees navigate uncertainty.