Sonoco closes URB mill in Sumner, Washington

As part of its ongoing mill network optimization plan and effort to lower operating costs, Hartsville, South Carolina-based packaging producer Sonoco Products Co. will permanently close its uncoated recycled paperboard (URB) mill in Sumner, Washington, effective immediately.

The mill, which had a production capacity of 40,000 tons per year of URB, has been in operation since 1915 and has been owned by Sonoco since 1980.

“Closing facilities is never an easy decision,” says Palace Stepps, vice president of North America paper products and fiber supply at Sonoco. “The mill’s team has played an important role in Sonoco’s paper operations for over 40 years, and we appreciate the hard work and dedication of the entire team.”

According to Sonoco, the closure is expected to impact 55 employees, while current customers will be served from other mill operations.

“As we continue to evaluate our manufacturing footprint based on the ability to cost-effectively serve our customers, we are committed to [providing] support to our customers and employees through this transition,” Stepps says.

Sonoco is of North America’s largest recovered fiber consumers. In the most recent list published by Recycling Today, the company ranked ninth, consuming 1.4 million tons across 13 mills. Prior to the Sumner closure, Sonoco had 10 URB mills across the U.S. and Canada.