Smurfit Westrock publishes first sustainability report

The company says the report reflects the strength of last year's merger as it continues to “put sustainability at the forefront.”

a forklift placing a bale of paper for recycling
Smurfit Westrock says its first sustainability report reflects the strength of last year's merger as it continues to “put sustainability at the forefront.”
Photo courtesy of Smurfit Westrock

Smurfit Westrock has published its first sustainability report since the merger of Smurfit Kappa and WestRock in July 2024, detailing the “sustainable approach” the combined company is taking in what it says was a milestone year.

The company highlights several achievements from the last year, including the delivery of 16,000 recyclable bed frames for the 2024 Paris Olympics, raising $2 billion in “green finance” and winning more than 100 awards for its packaging solutions.

Also in the report, the company has updated its combined paper and board capacity as well as recovered fiber consumption.

According to the report, Smurfit Westrock has 23 million tons of paper and board capacity across its network of 62 mills. In 2024, the company manufactured 204.4 billion square feet of corrugated packaging.

Smurfit Westrock also highlights its leading position as a consumer of recovered fiber in North America and Europe, with a large presence in Latin America, and reportedly consumed approximately 14 million tons of recovered fiber last year—solidifying its status as the largest recovered fiber consumer in North America and one of the largest worldwide.

In Recycling Today’s most recent list of the largest recovered fiber consumers in North America published in late 2023, WestRock ranked No. 1, consuming an estimated 5.5 million tons of recovered fiber in 2022, while Smurfit Kappa North America ranked No. 12, consuming an estimated 841,500 tons that year.

“This report demonstrates that sustainability is at the core of our business and shows how paper-based packaging is made with inherently sustainable materials,” Smurfit Westrock Chief Sustainability Officer Garrett Quinn says. “It also shows how circular business models make good business sense.

Smurfit Westrock’s 2024 sustainability report can be downloaded here.