Stora Enso postpones potential recycled containerboard conversion in Belgium

Finnish packaging company Stora Enso has postponed indefinitely its decision on whether to convert a paper machine at its mill in Lagerbrugge, Belgium, to produce recycled containerboard.

Originally proposed in 2022, Stora Enso conducted a feasibility study concerning the conversion of the paper machine from producing recycled newsprint and recycled supercalendered magazine paper to recycled containerboard, but the company cites an already-supplied European market for the indefinite delay.

“Our study on the opportunity to deliver more recycled packaging to the market proved positive,” Rebekka Thielemann, vice president of product and sales of recycled containerboard, says in a statement. “However, as the availability of recycled containerboard in Europe currently meets market needs, we decided to postpone the conversion decision, which will be take in due time.”

Stora Enso says the Langerbrugge Mill in northwest Belgium is one of the most efficient recycled newsprint and supercalendered magazine paper mills in the world. The facility was established in 1932 and has an annual capacity of 540,000 metric tons of recycled paper, consuming everyday packaging material, including paper cups.

The proposed conversion was expected to cost about $426 million and boost the mills capacity to produce 700,000 metric tons annually of testliner and recycled-content fluting grades.

“While we remain agile and responsive to market trends, our dedication to our paper customers is unwavering,” Thielemann says. “We are fully committed to continuing to provide the high-quality products and service excellence that our clients have come to expect from us for the foreseeable future, solidifying Langergrugge’s legacy as a cornerstone of paper production.”