International Paper to close Savannah, Riceboro plants

Caption

Aerial view of DS Smith/International Paper mill taken during a SouthWings flight, Riceboro, June 24, 2025.

Credit: Robin Kemp/The Current GA

International Paper, a longtime pillar of Coastal Georgia’s economy, announced Thursday that it will permanently close its Savannah and Riceboro plants by the end of September and cut some 1,100 hourly and salaried jobs.

The closures of the company’s containerboard and packaging facilities in Savannah and its containerboard mill and timber and lumber operation in Riceboro are part of “actions to enhance its ability to serve and grow with customers while improving its manufacturing footprint,” the firm said in a news release.

While eliminating its operations in Savannah and Riceboro, the firm said it will invest $250 million for renovations at its Riverdale mill in Selma, Ala., to produce container board and sell its global cellulose

In its press release, the firm, the world’s largest pulp and paper company, said it will shutter its operations in Savannah and Riceboro “in phases by the end of September 2025.”

“We understand how deeply these decisions affect our employees, their loved ones, and the surrounding communities,” said Tom Hamic, executive vice president and president of the company’s North America Packaging Solutions business.

“We are committed to supporting both our employees and customers as we navigate this transition.”

The firm’s operations in Savannah and the surrounding area stretch back nearly 88 years. It has employed generations of mill workers, boosting their families and the region’s economy.

In a statement, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson expressed disappointment about the closure and concern for the 650 Savannah-based employees. 

“Through seasons of change and challenge, International Paper has emerged to be a great corporate partner to our community,” he said. “As Savannah has always done, we will rise together. By combining our collective talent, wisdom, and resources, we will work to ensure that our neighbors have new opportunities to provide for themselves and their families.”

The corporate news release omits any mention of the company’s Port Wentworth biomass energy plant. The company operates more than a dozen large paper mills in the U.S.

IP spokeperson Amy Simpson confirmed the Port Wentworth pulp mill will not close but had been sold. “The Port Wentworth pulp mill is not affected by today’s closure announcements but is part of our Global Cellulose Fibers business and is included in the sale of that business to AIP, which was also announced today.”

Liberty County plant

State Rep. Al Williams, who is chairman of the Liberty County Development Authority, described news of the closures as “difficult for our community, for our region.”

“My first concern is for the people whose livelihoods are affected, men and women who have given years of hard work and loyalty to these operations,” he said.

Williams, who also serves as chairman of the Liberty County Development Authority, said the agency had offered “strong incentives for International Paper to stay and invest here. I know the company has not made this decision lightly though we had been working and hoping for a different outcome.

The authority, he said, would “do its best” to coordinate with company leadership to understand the timeline and transition plan and would join with local, regional and state agencies to “stand up support services and programs.”

The authority’s CEO, Brynn Grant, said the agency was moving immediately “to support impacted workers and local businesses in every way we can.”

A check of the Riceboro complex showed operations as usual, with a steady stream of timber trucks entering and leaving the plant. A security officer referred questions to International Paper’s director of communications, Amy Simpson.

Cars and trucks in the employee parking lot bore license plates not only from Liberty County but also from several surrounding counties: Long, Wayne, McIntosh, Brantley, and Glynn — indicating families throughout Coastal Georgia will be directly impacted by the closures.

Riceboro Mayor Chris Stacy, a longtime employee of International Paper, was not immediately available for comment.

Corporate decision

International Paper employs more than 65,000 people and has operations in more than 30 countries. Its net sales in 2024 were $18.6 billion. In its press release, it said the moves announced Thursday were “part of a series of strategic changes to achieve an advantaged cost position, deliver a superior customer experience and maintain a high relative supply position as part of its ongoing transformation journey.”

Hamic said while “difficult,” the cutbacks in Georgia and investments in Alabama that were announced Thursday were “essential to positioning International Paper for long-term success, enabling us to focus on the geographies, customers, and products where we can create the most value.”

This is a developing story.

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with The Current.