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While packaging industry layoff announcements in January largely came from manufacturers specializing in plastics, those that handle other materials were not exempt.
International Paper, for instance, disclosed during an earnings call that it anticipates closing at least seven facilities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and cutting at least 700 employees in 2026. Exact details are yet to come.
Here are the companies that made announcements in January about closures and layoffs for their North American packaging facilities.
- Dow announced it’s laying off 4,500 employees, approximately 13% of its workforce, as part of a cost-cutting plan. The chemical company did not break down which business sectors would experience cuts or the number of workers in each unit, but it did highlight the intention to adopt more artificial intelligence and automation. In addition, Dow noted in its Jan. 29 earnings release that packaging and specialty plastics sales volumes in the recent fourth quarter of 2025 fell 11% year over year, and led the company’s overall 2% year-over-year drop in Q4 sales volumes.
- Sealed Air filed a worker adjustment and retraining notification for a permanent facility closure in City of Industry, California, that will affect 51 people. The closure date is April 30. The company’s website lists City of Industry as one of its sites where it has a packaging testing lab as well as a drop-off location for recycling the company’s Bubble Wrap and Instapak foam branded products.
- Tekni-Plex plans to close a facility in Milwaukee, affecting 39 employees, according to a WARN filed with the state of Wisconsin. The employee separation period is scheduled to run from March 27 through April 30. This healthcare packaging plant is one of three that Tekni-Plex acquired from Amcor in 2019, per the U.S. Department of Justice’s requirements that Amcor make three divestitures to gain approval for its $6.8 billion acquisition of Bemis.
- Waddington North America, a Novolex company, is permanently closing a plant in Bremen, Georgia, according to a WARN. Four separation dates spanning from March 31 to May 29 are listed for the 49 affected employees. Novolex recently announced that it would sell its Waddington Europe thermoforming business to private equity firm Endless.
Other updates
- Alpek Polyester, which manufactures plastics used for making packaging, filed a WARN with the state of Pennsylvania for a facility closure in Reading that will affect 100 employees. The closure is slated for March 15. According to Alpek’s website, the Reading location produces recycled PET. It’s the third U.S. PET reclaimer to close since September.
