Greenpac containerboard mill celebrates full production

Partnership led by Cascades Inc. hosts inauguration event at Niagara Falls, New York, mill.

The Greenpac Mill LLC containerboard mill in Niagara Falls, New York, began producing board in July 2013, but Cascades Inc., Kingsey Falls, Ontario, Canada, held what it calls an official inauguration Sept. 24, 2015, for the facility. Greenpac is a company created by Cascades in partnership with the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Jamestown Container and Containerboard Partners.

The Greenpac mill produces lightweight linerboard made with 100-percent-recycled fibers. The mill has one paper machine with an annual production capacity of 540,000 short tons. Built and operated by the Norampac division of Cascades, the Greenpac Mill employs 135 people.

“The investment we are inaugurating today is the tangible result of the deployment of our strategic plan aiming to position Cascades as a leader in the packaging industry in terms of both productivity and profitability,” says Mario Plourde, president and CEO of Cascades. “Greenpac offers high performance and innovative products that will enable us to better fulfill the needs of our customers, with one of the lowest costs in the industry.”

Charles Malo, chief operating officer of Norampac, says, “We are very proud to officially inaugurate Greenpac today, with the people who have helped make this major project a reality. Greenpac’s success since launching operations has confirmed that we made the right choice by investing in modern equipment and technologies that enable us to offer superior-quality products."

At the ceremony, Plourde and Malo credited the state of New York, Empire State Development, the city of Niagara Falls, the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency, the New York Power Authority and the New York Department of Environment Conservation for their roles in establishing the mill.

“We would like to take the opportunity to thank everybody who has played a role in this project including, in particular, all the employees and suppliers who have been involved in building and operating the mill and our partners in this project, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Jamestown Container and Containerboard Partners,” Malo said at the ceremony.

Elected officials, suppliers, customers and employees were invited to the event, and the Greenpac Mill opened its doors to the media for the first time.