We’ve marked three years since the Kingsport Mill’s conversion to a 100% recycled packaging mill was celebrated at its grand opening event, and it’s been nearly three and a half years since the first roll of containerboard was produced successfully at the mill.
We asked Mike Butler, senior director of sales for Domtar’s packaging business, and Laura Ashley, channel marketing manager for packaging products, about Domtar’s packaging products and how the mill and product line are performing, three years into producing 100% recycled containerboard.
How is Domtar performing in the containerboard market now?
Domtar has built strong momentum in its first three years in the containerboard market, supported by true customer partnerships and consistent product performance.
As the business grows, the focus remains clear: enable our customers to win in the marketplace through reliable supply, strong performance and long-term partnership.
What kinds of recycled containerboard products are made at Domtar’s Kingsport Mill?
Laura Ashley and Mike Butler representing Domtar at a recent event.
The Kingsport Mill manufactures two types of premium, 100% recycled containerboard: Performance Linerboard and Performance Medium, both components used to manufacture corrugated packaging, like boxes used for e-commerce shipments. For readers outside of the corrugated packaging industry:
- Linerboard is the smooth, durable paper that forms both the outside and inside layer of a corrugated box.
- Medium is the paper formed into the fluted (wavy) inner structure that provides strength and cushioning.
Our containerboard is produced in large rolls and supplied to corrugated converters, where it is combined into corrugated sheets and die-cut into custom box blanks with integrated features such as handles, flaps, and ventilation. These blanks are folded, glued and stacked into flat bundles, ready for efficient forming and filling.
The resulting packaging protects products through distribution while supporting merchandising and product communication at the point of sale across industries—from food and beverage to electronics, apparel, and automotive parts.
How does the quality of Domtar’s products compare to past 100% recycled containerboard products?
Domtar entered the containerboard market in 2023 with the transformation of the Kingsport Mill, investing in state-of-the-art recycled papermaking technology to produce containerboard that performs and looks very differently from earlier recycled grades. So, we are glad you asked the question because our recycled containerboard is nothing like the recycled containerboard of yesteryear.
Here are some key differences:
- Improved appearance: Unlike the dull “recycled grey” tones of the past, Domtar’s 100% recycled containerboard is a consistent warm brown appearance comparable to virgin containerboard.
- Higher strength and better performance: The market perception of recycled containerboard was often associated with lower strength. Today that has changed:
-
- Domtar’s 100% Recycled Performance Linerboard exhibits high STFI values, which is a measure of a paper’s compressive strength (how much load paper can carry without collapsing.)
-
- Domtar’s 100% Recycled Performance Medium provides strong Concora performance, which measures crushing strength after fluting.
These characteristics support the ability to design strong, reliable corrugated packaging using less material, which most often means using a lower basis weight. Our customers gain the ability to give their end users the capability to “lightweight” their packages.
What is lightweighting in corrugated packaging and why does it matter?
Lightweighting means dematerializing or using less paper (which means less fiber) to make a box while still maintaining its strength and performance. It is a key focus in today’s corrugated packaging industry, helping manufacturers reduce material use without compromising protection.
Attributes of Domtar’s 100% recycled containerboard often allow converters to use lower basis weight materials while still ensuring product protection throughout shipping and handling.
It certainly pays to lightweight. For a large end user, this can result in fewer truckloads being required, with resulting freight savings, fuel savings, warehouse space savings and even dock labor savings. One final important note on lightweighting: for those manufacturers who sell products into states which implement EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) laws, less packaging weight means lower EPR fees.
Independent corrugated converters are at the heart of Domtar’s packaging business model. Why this market?
Domtar doesn’t own or operate box plants, sheet plants or sheet feeders. This means we do not compete with our customers. We become an extension of their business. As a supplier, we focus on delivering premium 100% recycled containerboard and building long-term, collaborative partnerships with our customers.
Our approach is simple: when our customers succeed in the marketplace, we succeed.
How does Domtar source the recycled fiber for containerboard?
Domtar’s Kingsport Mill can process approximately 660,000 tons of recycled fiber annually, including predominantly OCC (Old Corrugated Containers), and a small amount of other recovered paper. This recycled fiber is sourced through a network of supply partnerships and municipal recycling programs. Domtar’s most recognizable OCC supply partnerships are with retailers and manufacturers like Food City, Goodwill Industries of Tenneva Area, Inc. and the American Greetings manufacturing plant, based in Tennessee.
We are fortunate to have these and other excellent supply partnerships bringing in a steady stream of local and regionally recycled material within a closed-loop recycling system.
With the grocer Food City, which is headquartered not far from the mill in Abingdon, Virginia, we receive 5 truckloads a day of OCC bales gathered from their 150+ stores weekly. Corrugated packaging is a backbone of the food supply chain—used to move, protect, and display most grocery products before they reach the shelf.
Here is a fun fact about Domtar’s incoming recycled material: As of Earth Day 2026, Domtar had processed 1.5 million tons of recyclable material into new, high-quality containerboard.
You mentioned “closed-loop circularity.” What is closed-loop recycling in packaging?
In a closed-loop recycling system, materials are recovered after use and returned to manufacturers to become the same type of product. In our case, the end use product is corrugated boxes.
Unlike open-loop or traditional recycling, which often “downcycles” materials into lower‑value items, closed‑loop systems preserve material performance. Closed-loop circularity (closed-loop recycling) reduces the need for new raw inputs and minimizes waste. Aluminum and glass are two other commodities that are commonly recycled within a closed loop back to the original product.
Domtar’s high quality, 100% recycled containerboard demonstrates that recycled materials can deliver the performance and quality brands expect. By keeping recovered fiber in circulation and converting it into premium 100% recycled containerboard, we help support a resilient, resource-efficient packaging system that benefits converters, brands, and consumers alike.
What sustainability advantages does the Kingsport Mill offer?
In addition to producing 100% recycled containerboard, the Kingsport Mill’s 2023 transformation introduced significant process efficiencies.
Compared to its previous operation as a virgin freesheet mill, the recycled containerboard process now uses:
- Minimal chemicals
- Approximately 70% less water
- Approximately 50% less energy
These improvements are part of a broader focus on efficient resource use in containerboard manufacturing.
How has Domtar’s approach to the corrugated packaging market changed as the company has integrated Domtar, Resolute Forest Products and Paper Excellence under the Domtar name and private ownership of Jackson Wijaya
The integrated Domtar has a shared vision of being “the fiber for the future.” Three years after the Kingsport transformation was completed, we are even more deeply dedicated to this mission, to this robust industry and to producing premium 100% recycled containerboard. Key reasons for corrugated converters to do business with Domtar include:
- Sustainability strengthens brands. 100% recycled containerboard allows our customers to participate in the closed-loop circular economy of recycling.
- High performance, premium products enable reliable use and lightweighting opportunities.
- Our $600+ million investment in containerboard shows our commitment to the industry. Click here for our Kingsport Mill fact sheet.
- Domtar’s technical, logistics, and sustainability expertise support and strengthen partnerships
Learn more about Domtar’s recycled containerboard products, and hear more perspectives from Mike Butler in AICC BoxScore.
- AICC BoxScore, May/June 2026, “The Independent Ecosystem” (available in English only)
- AICC BoxScore, March/April 2026, “Smart Boxes, Smarter Business” (available in English only)
Mike serves as vice chairman of the Association of Independent Corrugated Converters’ (AICC’s) Associate board.
The post Inside Recycled Containerboard and Domtar’s Kingsport Mill with Mike Butler and Laura Ashley appeared first on Domtar.
