International Paper announced plans to convert the No. 16 paper machine at its Riverdale mill in Selma, Alabama, to produce containerboard by the third quarter of 2026.
The mill currently supplies Sylvamo with approximately 260,000 short tons of cutsize uncoated freesheet annually from the machine through a supply agreement.
“The Riverdale supply agreement is not part of our long-term strategy. We have been planning for this conversion since our 2021 spinoff, including making strategic investments in our footprint in North America. We will support our customers throughout this transition,” said Jean-Michel Ribiéras, chairman and chief executive officer, Sylvamo.
Sylvamo anticipates losing Riverdale volume when International Paper takes down No. 16 paper machine.
"We plan to optimize our mix to minimize the earnings impact, which may include redirecting volume to the U.S. from our mills in Brazil and Europe”, Sylvamo added.
Sylvamo is a paper company with mills in Europe, Latin America and North America. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, Sylvamo employs more than 6,500 colleagues. Net sales for 2024 were $3.8 billion.
More details will be available Thursday in a presentation at investors.sylvamo.com.
