Suzano VP highlights urbanization as key driver for shifting consumer pack demands

Latin America’s packaging design is changing to meet increasing demand for convenience and on-the-go consumption, according to Fabio Almeida de Oliveira, executive vice president of paper and packaging at Suzano. Suzano is a Brazilian paper production giant and one of the world’s largest suppliers of pulp. 

Packaging Insights speaks with Almeida de Oliveira about the company’s recent launches, and how the region’s pulp and paper production is adjusting to the expanding urbanization across Latin America. 

What are the primary trends in pulp and paper production, especially in Brazil and Latin America?

Almeida de Oliveira: In recent years, this market has seen a strong focus on innovation and a shift toward more sustainable practices. The emphasis on sustainability has been driven by consumers, who are increasingly aware and concerned about the environmental and societal impact of packaging, and the emergence of laws and regulations affecting the use, disposal, lifecycle tracking, and impact measurement of materials.

Innovation is also transforming the industry. The adoption of new technologies like QR codes is promoting greater customer engagement, improving traceability, and addressing sustainability concerns.

The market is additionally responding to broader consumer trends. As urbanization continues throughout Latin America, packaging design is changing to meet increasing demand for convenience and on-the-go consumption. At the same time, the expansion of the delivery market has stimulated the growth of demand and the development of new packaging solutions.

What can you share about your products and brands? 

Almeida de Oliveira: We produce responsibly grown raw materials used to make everyday products such as toilet paper and tissue, printing and writing paper, books, personal hygiene products, packaging, and textiles. In Europe, one in three sheets of tissue or toilet paper is made from our pulp. In North America, it is closer to 40%.

Driven by our innovation unit, we are making strides in developing papers with greater strength and new barrier properties — two important advancements that will help Suzano enter new markets. One example is Greenpack, our line of paper for flexible packaging designed to replace plastic in primary and secondary packaging for food, hygiene products, cleaning products, and cosmetics. Another is Greenbag, our short-fiber, high-strength paper specifically designed for bag production. Our newest product is Bluecup Bio, our completely plastic-free cupstock paperboard featuring a biodegradable barrier.

Suzano is developing paper packaging with greater strength and new barrier properties.We are particularly excited about opportunities to develop new products and our offering of greener solutions after entering the US paperboard market with our recently acquired mills in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and Waynesville, North Carolina.

Beyond packaging, trees provide bio-based materials that can be substituted for petroleum-derived products across multiple industries, including textiles. We have expanded our presence in this sector through our joint venture with the Finnish company Spinnova to create Woodspin, which produces sustainable fibers for the textile industry. We also recently acquired a stake in Lenzing, an Austrian company specializing in sustainable fibers.

Can you tell us about Suzano and the significance of your work?

Almeida de Oliveira: We are one of the world’s largest producers of bio-based raw materials and among Brazil’s biggest employers, with almost 49,000 employees and contractors. We are the world’s largest pulp supplier, a major paper and packaging manufacturer in the Americas, and one of the leaders in the tissue business in Brazil. Our products reach more than two billion people around the world.

Our Paper and Packaging business unit has around 1.7 million tons of annual production capacity. We produce mainly printing and writing (P&W) paper and paperboard. Our strategy is to retain our position as one of the most competitive and high-quality suppliers of P&W paper while expanding into the growing packaging market. With increasing consumer demand for more sustainable solutions and plastic alternatives, this sector presents significant opportunities.

Our 101-year history and mission is to renew life inspired by trees. Trees allow us to provide solutions to the global plastic and fossil fuel problem by developing and producing innovative, renewable, bio-based materials for consumer and industrial use. We only harvest what we plant, and we currently plant more than one million fast-growing eucalyptus trees a day for our production. Alongside this, we preserve around 11,000 square kilometers of conservation areas, around 40% of our total land area, to help manage and protect the landscapes in which we operate.

What can you share about Suzano’s current business strategy?

Almeida de Oliveira: A key component of Suzano’s strategy is investing in innovation. We have departments committed to designing and producing packaging solutions that don’t require major conversion of our P&W paper machines to replace plastic packaging with renewable alternatives. We believe this innovative approach sets Suzano apart from our regional peers, and we have already seen success with paper straws, paper cups, paper-based flexible packaging, paper bags, and white top-liner paper for boxes. 

Suzano's cups are from plastic-free paperboard featuring a biodegradable barrier.Another key component of our strategy is to expand our presence in traditional paper packaging segments, including through internationalization.

Last year, Suzano completed the acquisition of two industrial assets from Pactiv Evergreen in Arkansas and North Carolina, US. The acquisition of these mills in Pine Bluff and Waynesville that manufacture liquid packaging board and cupstock, adds approximately 420,000 metric tons annually of integrated paperboard to Suzano’s production capacity.

What about Suzano’s environmental sustainability strategy? 

Almeida de Oliveira: In a world where environmental threats are increasing, and climate change is accelerating, companies have a profound responsibility to act as catalysts for sustainable change. It is not enough to be isolated agents of progress; we must see ourselves as integral parts of a larger ecosystem, mobilizing all stakeholders along the value chain to promote true environmental awareness and take concrete and sustainable actions.

Our commitment is to drive this transformation not only by implementing our own sustainable practices but also by influencing and supporting our partners, suppliers, and customers to do the same through product design, sustainable materials, and promoting a circular economy. As a business with operations rooted in sustainable and renewable sources, I believe we are uniquely positioned to lead this effort.

What’s next for Latin America’s pulp and paper production? 

Almeida de Oliveira: The demand for sustainable and eco-friendly products will continue to drive innovation, contributing to the replacement of fossil fuel-based products with more sustainable solutions.

Operationally, we expect to see more advanced technologies used in pulp and paper production. For instance, digitalization, AI, and data analytics will help optimize production processes, increase efficiency, and reduce environmental impact. Smart manufacturing and the implementation of Industry 4.0 principles will become more common, enabling companies to improve quality, reduce waste, and lower operational costs.