Paper, Nonwoven and Film News for June 17, 2026

The Navigator Company launched gCELL as a dedicated pulp brand, separating its eucalyptus-fiber offer more clearly inside the market. The move is meant to sharpen portfolio positioning as buyers compare fiber performance, sustainability claims and supply relationships across tissue and specialty paper applications.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Clearer pulp positioning matters when furnish changes affect softness, dusting, slit quality and winding stability on tissue and specialty-paper converting lines.

Source: METissue on Navigator's new gCELL pulp brand

METissue reported that Golden Eagle Group ordered six Baosuo tissue machines for Vinda's expansion project in Hubei. The scale of the order signals another large step in Asian tissue capacity, with implications for jumbo-roll supply, converting demand and competition on finished tissue output.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Large tissue-machine additions usually lead to new demand for rewinders, slitters, embossing support and roll logistics that can keep pace with higher parent-roll output.

Source: METissue on Vinda's Hubei tissue-machine expansion

Toscotec started up the rebuilt PM3 at Papeterie Le Bourray, bringing an upgraded paper machine back online for the French mill. Rebuild projects like this are closely watched because they can improve sheet quality, reduce downtime and extend the useful life of existing assets without a greenfield investment.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: More stable upstream paper production lowers the risk of width variation, defects and roll inconsistency that create waste during slitting and rewinding.

Source: METissue on Toscotec's PM3 rebuild startup

Sofidel broke ground on the expansion of its Port of Inola site in Oklahoma, continuing a major North American tissue investment program. The project reinforces expectations that finished-tissue demand and regional production capacity will keep rising together.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: New tissue output increases pressure for dependable downstream converting, roll handling and packaging equipment that can run fast without sacrificing finished-roll quality.

Source: METissue on Sofidel's Port of Inola expansion

Metsa Group inaugurated its expanded Mariestad tissue mill in Sweden and positioned it as one of the most modern tissue sites in the world. The upgrade is another sign that tissue suppliers are still spending on scale, automation and quality consistency.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Modern tissue mills tend to raise expectations for stable parent-roll quality, which supports faster rewinding, cleaner slitting and fewer downstream quality claims.

Source: METissue on Metsa Group's Mariestad tissue mill

ANDRITZ received an order from ATCO Hygienics in Tashkent for a new baby diaper production line scheduled for commissioning at the end of 2026. The project is designed around higher efficiency, flexibility and premium-product output for the Central Asian market.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Diaper-line growth pushes upstream suppliers of nonwovens, films and absorbent materials to hold tighter tension, cut quality and scrap-control standards.

Source: ANDRITZ on ATCO Hygienics' diaper-line order

Kruger Nonwovens ordered a complete Wetlace hybrid line from ANDRITZ for Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, aimed at plastic-free and chemical-free wipes materials. The line is scheduled to begin production in 2028 and marks a major bet on pulp-rich wipe substrates.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: More dispersible wipe webs are less forgiving than standard nonwovens, so line builders need cleaner slitting, lower lint and tighter tension control.

Source: ANDRITZ on Kruger's Wetlace hybrid line

Sanitex in Kinshasa ordered two baby diaper lines and one sanitary napkin line from ANDRITZ, with startup scheduled for the third quarter of 2026. The scope includes SAP dosing, web-tension control, inspection and automatic packaging aimed at more repeatable hygiene production.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: More advanced hygiene lines raise the requirement for consistent upstream rolls, precise cuts and reliable roll build across nonwoven and film inputs.

Source: ANDRITZ on Sanitex's hygiene line order

ANDRITZ said Dalian Ruiguang ordered another Wetlace line for premium flushable wipes, lifting planned annual capacity to 40,000 tons. The project is aligned with stricter flushability requirements and continued demand for biodegradable wipe formats.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Flushable materials punish weak web handling, unstable rewind tension and dirty slitting more than conventional wipes, so this segment directly favors higher-spec converting machinery.

Source: ANDRITZ on Dalian Ruiguang's new flushable wipes line

Scotland announced that single-use plastic wipes will be banned from August 11, 2027, extending pressure on brands and converters to replace fossil-plastic wipe substrates with compliant alternatives. The policy reinforces a wider market direction toward flushable, cellulosic and lower-plastic wipes constructions.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Compliance-driven substrate shifts usually force revalidation of tension, cut quality, perforation behavior and packaging compatibility across existing converting assets.

Source: Nonwovens Industry on Scotland's plastic wipes ban date

Amcor secured RecyClass Recycled Plastics Traceability Certification across UK-made flexible products including FFS films, shrink film, stretch hood and flat film ranges with PCR content. The certification gives buyers a firmer compliance basis when specifying recycled-content packaging.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Verified PCR content raises the value of machines that can keep winding, gauge control and sealing performance stable even when recycled feedstock changes film behavior.

Source: Amcor on RecyClass-certified PCR flexible films

Innovia Films and PureCycle said they successfully produced white cavitated BOPP film using more than 40% PureFive recycled polypropylene. The result is important because cavitated BOPP is widely used where opacity, stiffness and print performance must be maintained despite changes in resin composition.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Higher recycled content in BOPP can tighten winding, slitting and print-registration tolerances, so buyers need equipment and process control that can absorb more material variability.

Source: Innovia Films on recycled-content cavitated BOPP with PureCycle

Mondi launched re/loop FlowWrap, a mono-polypropylene wet wipes structure containing 35% post-consumer recycled content. The company said customer trials showed reliable sealing and machinability on existing packaging lines, which is a key hurdle for recycled-content formats.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Wet wipes packaging has little tolerance for unstable sealing or poor reel behavior, so film changes like this make process control and consistent unwind quality more valuable.

Source: Mondi on re/loop FlowWrap for wet wipes packaging

Coveris used the International Cheese & Dairy EXPO to highlight MonoFlexBE, a recycle-ready thermoforming lidding solution for cheese applications. The focus on dairy packaging shows how mono-material structures are moving deeper into demanding food applications that still require line efficiency and product protection.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Recycle-ready food films often narrow the margin for error on sealing, slip and roll formation, which increases the value of stable slitting, inspection and tension control.

Source: Coveris on MonoFlexBE at the Cheese & Dairy Expo

Reifenhauser introduced its EVO GEN3 blown film line generation at Chinaplas 2026, targeting up to 1,050 kilograms per hour with new die-head and cooling technology. Higher output claims are meaningful because converters now expect more throughput without giving up gauge uniformity or downstream runnability.

Why it matters for converters and machine buyers: Faster film lines only create value when the resulting rolls still slit cleanly, rewind smoothly and hold stable web tension through packaging conversion.

Source: Reifenhauser on its new blown film line generation