The outlook comes from International Paper’s fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings release and accompanying management commentary issued with its January 29 earnings update.
International Paper is extending its multi-year restructuring program into 2026, suggesting continued footprint rationalization and workforce reductions, with the EMEA region expected to remain a focal point. The company is proposing the closure of seven additional facilities, which could affect more than 700 positions in 2026. IP notes that it will continue to review and adjust its mill and plant network as part of its ongoing operational strategy.
These actions build on restructuring measures launched in late 2024. Since then, International Paper has shut numerous facilities across North America and Europe, eliminating over 4,500 positions — including 20 sites in EMEA and around 1,400 jobs in 2025 alone. Executives emphasized that the next round of closures will be smaller and more targeted, focusing on supply chain efficiency, procurement discipline, and tighter cost control rather than major, headline-driven shutdowns.
Collectively, these moves signal a company transitioning from broad structural resets to more precise cost management, consistent with International Paper’s broader plan to split into two independent public companies and sharpen its regional focus and execution.
International Paper is a global provider of sustainable packaging solutions, serving customers across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company focuses primarily on corrugated packaging and packaging solutions designed to strengthen supply chains and support customer sustainability goals. International Paper is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (IP) and the London Stock Exchange (IPC).
Source: International Paper
