Canfor to Permanently Close Its Northwood Pulp Mill in Prince George

July 15, 2026 – Canfor Corporation on July 14 announced the permanent closure of its Northwood pulp mill in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. This closure results in an annual reduction of about 300,000 tonnes of Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) from Northwood.

Approximately 300 employees in Prince George are directly impacted.

In a press release, the company said, “The pulp and paper sector continues to face significant challenges, including a structural shift in global pulp markets. Substantial additional pulp production capacity has come online globally, creating an oversupply in the market and downward pressure on global pulp prices. Combined with the persistent challenges accessing fibre, these factors have resulted in a prolonged period of unsustainable financial losses for Canfor Pulp. With no foreseeable improvement in the outlook, Canfor has made the difficult decision to close its Northwood facility.”

Susan Yurkovich, President and CEO, Canfor, stated, “We recognize this is incredibly difficult news that will have a significant impact on our employees, their families, the businesses that support our operation, and the communities where we operate. This decision is in no way a reflection of the dedication or hard work of our employees. The team at Northwood has worked tirelessly to improve performance, navigating challenging conditions to support their operation and we are grateful for their efforts.

“In the weeks ahead, we are committed to supporting our employees through this transition, including providing severance, and exploring opportunities to redeploy impacted employees to our other operating locations where possible.”

The Northwood Pulp Mill will be following an orderly wind-down process and is expected to close in late Q4 2026, the company said.

Canfor Corp is a global leader in the manufacturing of high-value low-carbon forest products including dimension and specialty lumber, engineered wood products, pulp and paper, wood pellets and green energy. Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canfor Corp produces renewable products from sustainably managed forests, at more than 50 facilities across its diversified operating platform in Canada, the United States and Europe.

SOURCE: Canfor Corporation

International Forest Products Names Michael Majka as Director, Recovered Fiber

June 23, 2026 - International Forest Products (IFP) announced the addition of Michael Majka as Director, Recovered Fiber.

Majka brings extensive experience in the forest products industry, with expertise ranging from domestic sales to export markets for all recovered fiber products. A third-generation member of his family with ties to the forest products industry, he previously held the role of Major Account Manager at Waste Management and most recently operated an export company focusing on sales into India and Southeast Asia.

At IFP, Majka will be focused on sourcing, purchasing, and managing the supply of recovered fiber grades across North America to support domestic and export demand. He will develop and manage relationships with MRFs, brokers, municipalities, and industrial generators.

“We are excited to welcome Michael to the IFP family,” said Daniel Kraft, President and Chief Executive Officer of IFP. “His industry knowledge, global market experience, and longstanding relationships throughout the recovered fiber sector will be valuable assets as we continued to grow our business around the globe.”

International Forest Products is a member of the Kraft Group of companies and is one of the largest traders of forest products commodities in the world. IFP provides solutions for sales and marketing, transportation and logistics, and finance for suppliers and converters.

SOURCE: International Forest Products

European Pulp and Paper Industry Urges Freeze on EU ETS Benchmarks

June 16, 2026 (Press Release) - Like other manufacturing sectors and many national governments, the European pulp and paper industry has called on the European Commission to maintain the current EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) benchmark values for the 2026-2030 period. It could otherwise lose an annual EUR 1 billion in decarbonisation investments, warned Cepi (Confederation of European Paper Industries).

The European pulp and paper industry has a strategic advantage in supporting the EU's objective of climate neutrality by 2050. In 2023, the EU bioeconomy was valued at EUR 2.7 trillion, accounting for 5% of the EU's GDP, and is expected to grow rapidly, presenting a EUR 6.6 trillion opportunity globally, which will capitalise on divestments from fossil fuels but also materials. It is a rare industry where the EU still has a competitive advantage.

But a recent EU Commission proposal to adjust its key climate policy the EU ETS, discussed [June 15] at the EU Council, fails to consider this potential. It includes updating ETS benchmark values, with almost the entirety of the pulp and paper industry facing reductions of 50%, the highest possible update rate. Such adjustments, based on data from 2021-2022, fail to account for the unique challenges faced by energy-intensive industries amid soaring energy costs and geopolitical instability.

These also directly threaten the competitiveness of the European pulp and paper industry as companies outside of Europe do not face the same carbon costs. Recent reports show that 80% of global carbon cost is paid by European operators and consumers.

"Working with the EU ETS as an investment incentive, we have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50% since 2005," said Jori Ringman, Cepi Director General. "But the rest of the road to net zero emissions by 2050 will be harder, and the proposed benchmark reductions, based on now obsolete projections which do not reflect current market conditions, could make success almost impossible."

As they have long used the ETS mechanisms to finance investments, pulp and paper producers now call for 2021-2025 ETS benchmark values to be applied unchanged to the 2026-2030 period, to ensure continued progress toward decarbonisation without compromising competitiveness of a sector that is key to the EU's post-fossil future.

Despite its success in cutting fossil energy sources, pulp and paper industry expects deeper industrial decarbonisation to require annual investments seven times larger than current ones. Problematically, the ETS as calibrated in the Commission's proposal risk doing the opposite, cutting EUR 1 billion out of the pulp and paper industry's annual investment capacity and resulting in extended payback periods. For instance, an investment exceeding EUR 250 million in a single mill to achieve 98% fossil-free production would, at a carbon price of EUR 70 per ton of CO?, yield annual savings of approximately €10 million, resulting in a payback period exceeding 25 years.

Furthermore, many pulp and paper installations rely on secondary biomass, the bio-based waste from papermaking, to produce heat. A 95% biomass threshold for exclusion from ETS already penalises early adopters by removing access to 'free allowances' needed to cushion previous investments, resulting in incentives for companies to potentially delay the transition away from fossil sources of energy.

Brussels-based Cepi is a non-profit association representing the paper industry in Europe. Cepi is managed by a 33-person Board and is composed of representatives of National Associations and Chief Executive Officers. The Board is currently chaired by Marco Eikelenboom, CEO of Sappi Europe.

SOURCE: Cepi

UPM Plans Temporary, Market-Related Downtime at Pulp Mills in Finland

June 18, 2026 - UPM today announced that it will temporarily shut down UPM Kaukas pulp mill as of August 3 for approximately six weeks. In addition, a potential temporary shutdown of the UPM Pietarsaari pulp mill is being planned for October.

In a press release, UPM said, "These shutdowns are intended to optimize production levels and wood sourcing and to ensure profitability in the current market and cost environments."

UPM Kaukas

The Kaukas pulp mill is located in Lappeenranta in South East Finland. The pulp mill has the capacity to produce 700,000 tonnes per year of softwood pulp on two production lines. The mill site also consists of a paper mill (shutdown in 4Q 2025), a sawmill, a biorefinery producing wood-based diesel and UPM's research centre.

UPM Pietarsaari

The Pietarsaari pulp mill is located in the Gulf of Bothnia in western Finland. The mill has the capacity to produce 800,000 tonnes per year of softwood and birch pulp. The mill site also houses UPM's Alholma sawmill, Alholmens Kraft power plant and UPM's wood procurement offices.

UPM Fibres consists of UPM's pulp and timber businesses as well as wood sourcing and forestry operations. UPM Pulp has three pulp mills in Finland and two pulp mills and plantation operations in Uruguay.

SOURCE: UPM