Arjowiggins: Q3 Update

Arjowiggins Managing Director, Christophe Jordan, gives an update on the company’s latest changes, where the business now stands in the marketplace and its highly optimistic outlook. 

Arjowiggins is a paper manufacturer with a long and rich history dating back to the 17th century.  

In January 2023, Arjowiggins and its Quzhou Mill in China were independently acquired and entered into a manufacturing partnership with the Fedrigoni Group who have in place a purchase option allowing them to take over the company in the medium term. The partnership means Arjowiggins will remain at the forefront of a new era in paper production and will specialise in the production and distribution of translucent papers for various sectors, sold under the Gateway, Idem and Sylvicta brands.  

The Quzhou Mill, established in 2003, is a world-leading manufacturer of sustainable, natural translucent papers for applications ranging from industrial design and graphic applications to packaging for food, consumer electronics and luxury products.  

Looking forwards, Arjowiggins takes pride in being a leading global manufacturer of natural translucent papers. Our sustainable paper technology, known for its exceptional quality, is used by some of the world’s top companies and brands and our reputation for quality and service continues to set us apart. This has been built upon our reputable heritage dating back well over a century.  

Following the acquisition, and supported by our partner Fedrigoni, we are proud to continue to evolve as a future-focused global paper company working to make a difference and challenging traditions. Whilst we have reshaped as a company, the unique translucent papers business we are so passionate about remains focused on helping our partners achieve their sustainability goals, increasingly in the food, electronics and luxury goods and packaging sectors.  

We are delighted that at the forefront of this eco-conscious movement is Sylvicta, a game-changing sustainable packaging solution that is already being adopted by many well-known brands and retailers around the world. As a remarkably effective barrier paper, it stands apart thanks to its ability to lock in oxygen, aromas, oils and grease and offers game-changing applications for products and packaging. 

Natural by design, it is a clean paper created from sustainably sourced wood pulp without using PFAS or other harmful chemicals.  

To achieve the world’s ambitious plastic reduction goals, we can’t ignore the significance of sustainability in the supply chain, which we consider a core responsibility of ours. We prioritise two main areas: consistently seeking ways to reduceing the environmental footprint of our products during manufacturing by such as decreasing energy consumption per ton and ensuring the well-being of our global team, including in our award-winning mill in Asia, where our enviable operation exceeds even Western standards. 

Achieving ambitious sustainability targets by 2025 or shortly thereafter presents significant challenges for the world, including our customers. While paper is generally considered a sustainable product, as an industrial manufacturing business, we still face obstacles in minimising our own impact on the environment. We believe in being forthright and transparent about these challenges. At the same time, we remain committed to finding innovative ways to continuously reduce our environmental footprint. We also recognise and acknowledge the complexity of the challenge that both we and our customers face in meeting sustainability goals. For us, this is not just a business responsibility but a moral obligation, and we believe that every action counts towards making a positive impact on the planet. However, our experience has shown that by fostering a culture of innovative partnerships, we can work together to discover novel innovative solutions for replacing plastics with paper. 

Pleasingly we are anticipating consistent growth ahead as we continue to support eco-conscious brands, retailers and converters who are reshaping their own businesses to align for a new future. 

Regards 

Christophe
Christophe Jordan, Managing Director Arjowiggins