Paper & Pulp Mills
VPK Group takes full ownership of UK's Fencor Packaging Group Belgium's VPK Group completed its acquisition of Fencor Packaging Group, owner of corrugated and cardboard box maker Manor Packaging of Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, after first buying a minority stake in 2024. The business will continue to operate as a standalone entity within the VPK portfolio. Source: PaperAge
Sonoco raises uncoated recycled paperboard prices by $60 per ton Sonoco announced a $60-per-ton increase on uncoated recycled paperboard across the U.S. and Canada and a 7 percent increase on converted paperboard products including tubes, cores and protective packaging, both effective July 8. The company cited strong demand and elevated operating costs. Source: PaperAge
Forestry & Timber
UN report finds forest funding covers only a quarter of what is needed The UN's Global Forest Goals Report 2026 says the world lost more than 40 million hectares of forest between 2015 and 2025, and that the roughly $84 billion spent annually on sustainable forest management falls far short of the $300 billion per year needed to reverse deforestation by 2030, with the Amazon and Congo Basin approaching carbon tipping points. Source: Wood Central
Modular construction could add 500 million board feet to Canadian timber demand A Canada West Foundation report, based on a roundtable convened by the Forest Products Association of Canada and the Canadian Wood Council, estimates that removing regulatory barriers to modular and prefabricated wood construction could unlock more than 500 million board feet of new domestic timber demand at current housing-start levels, with code fragmentation and approval delays identified as the main obstacles. Source: Wood Central