International Paper will permanently close its container plant in Georgetown, South Carolina, by year’s end. Layoffs impacting 126 employees will happen between May 1 and Dec. 31, according to a notice filed with the state.
International Paper recently “completed a strategic assessment” of both the facility and the region. The facility “has been a valuable part of the company for a number of years,” said Amy Simpson, IP’s head of communications, in an email earlier this month. “We will assist employees and customers through this transition.”
This follows a major downsizing in Georgetown at the end of 2024. International Paper closed its pulp and paper mill there, impacting 674 jobs, to cut complexity and costs. That site was less focused on packaging; it produced roughly 300,000 tons of fluff pulp for consumer products like diapers. IP later sold its global cellulose fibers business in 2025 to private equity firm American Industrial Partners for $1.5 billion.
International Paper has announced and teased other footprint changes this year.
In Washington, IP plans to permanently close a plant in Union Gap, with 102 layoffs come April 3, according to a January notice filed with the state.
Across the pond, IP expects seven additional closures and at least 700 job cuts in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region this year, IP reported on its most recent earnings call.
International Paper is in the midst of major change, currently in the process of splitting into two independent publicly traded companies — one in North America, and one in EMEA — in the next year or so.
