Klabin
A Brazilian forestry, pulp, paper, and packaging company with integrated operations from planted forests to converted packaging.
Last updated August 27, 2026
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Overview
Klabin is a Brazilian paper, pulp, packaging, forestry, exporting, and recycling company headquartered in São Paulo. Founded in 1899 by the Lafer-Klabin family group, it developed from a merchant and importer of printing supplies into one of Brazil’s largest integrated forest-products companies. Its principal activities span the cultivation and management of planted forests, production of hardwood, softwood, and fluff pulp, manufacture of packaging papers and paperboard, conversion into corrugated boxes and industrial sacks, recycling, and the sale of timber in logs. The company is organized around Forestry, Pulp, Paper, and Converting activities. This structure gives Klabin significant vertical integration: it manages forests, supplies wood to its mills, manufactures fiber and paper, and converts part of that output into packaging products for industrial and consumer customers. The business serves domestic Brazilian demand while also exporting pulp, paper, and packaging-related products to international markets. The reference material describes 24 industrial plants, including 23 in Brazil and one in Argentina, together with offices distributed across Brazil. Klabin’s modern industrial base was built through successive expansions. The Monte Alegre operation in Paraná began production in 1946 and became a central part of the group. Later developments included the Lages operation in Santa Catarina, packaging and corrugated-board facilities, the acquisition of Igaras Papéis e Embalagens in 2000, and the construction of the Puma Unit in Ortigueira, Paraná. Puma began operations in 2016 and was designed to produce eucalyptus pulp, pine pulp, and fluff pulp at one integrated complex. The subsequent Puma II project added a major expansion platform for packaging paper and pulp capacity. The brand is strongly associated with forest stewardship and sustainability. Klabin’s forests were certified by the Forest Stewardship Council in 1998, making the company, according to the referenced material, the first pulp-and-paper company in the Americas to receive that certification. It maintains native-forest conservation areas, ecological research programs, a herbarium, and private natural heritage reserves. Its activities also include recycling and research into forest-based materials, including nanocrystalline cellulose technology through an investment in Melodea Bio Based Solutions. Klabin became publicly listed in Brazil in the late 1970s and remains traded on B3 through common and preferred share classes. The company’s controlling structure remains linked to family holding companies. Its competitive proposition combines scale, forest ownership and management, a diversified fiber base, integrated mills, packaging conversion, export capability, and sustainability credentials. The company’s current public-facing identity is therefore broader than that of a conventional paper manufacturer: Klabin presents itself as an integrated provider of renewable, fiber-based materials and packaging solutions.
History
Klabin’s origins lie in the arrival of Lithuanian immigrant families in Brazil. Maurício Freeman Klabin established the printing business M.F. Klabin & Irmão in 1890. In 1899, members of the Klabin and Lafer families combined their commercial and family interests to create Klabin Irmãos & Cia. in São Paulo. The enterprise initially operated as a store, workshop, and importer of office and typography supplies. The group moved into paper manufacturing during the early twentieth century. It leased the Fábrica de Papel Paulista in Itu in 1902 and established the Companhia Fabricadora de Papel in 1909. That mill began operating in 1914 and helped Klabin become a significant Brazilian paper producer during the following decade. The group opened a Rio de Janeiro office in 1920, when the city was Brazil’s capital. During the 1930s and 1940s, second-generation family managers expanded and diversified the business. In 1934, the group created an industrial operation in Paraná and began developing a mill at Monte Alegre Farm in Tibagi. The project received support from Paraná authorities and was visited by President Getúlio Vargas in 1943. The mill began operating in 1946, initially producing newsprint and later kraft paper, and became one of the foundations of Klabin’s industrial system. The company diversified further in the 1950s and 1960s, entering rayon-related production, acquiring a matches manufacturer, building the Presidente Vargas hydroelectric plant, and developing transport infrastructure. In 1961, the Vila Anastácio unit was described as having the largest corrugated-paper production capacity in Latin America. The Lages operation in Santa Catarina began in 1969, producing kraft paper and softwood pulp and using chlorine-dioxide bleaching technology. In the 1970s, Klabin expanded into corrugated products, industrial bags, envelopes, and alternative fiber sources such as sugarcane bagasse. It created the Samuel Klabin Ecological Park in 1979 and began professionalizing management. Family branches established holding companies, a board structure was developed, and Klabin became publicly traded on the São Paulo Stock Exchange. This transition supported later industrial expansion while preserving family influence through controlling entities. Environmental and scientific programs became more prominent in the 1980s and 1990s. Klabin established a phytotherapy program, a scientific breeding ground, and environmental-education facilities. The Monte Alegre Farm received private natural-heritage protection, and in 1998 Klabin’s forests received FSC certification. The company also expanded into tissue and sanitary paper through joint ventures with Kimberly-Clark and invested in recycling infrastructure. The 2000s brought consolidation and a clearer focus on the Klabin identity. Klabin acquired Igaras Papéis e Embalagens in 2000, substantially increasing its share of Brazil’s carton market. In 2001, the group adopted the Klabin S.A. brand following a restructuring. It discontinued newsprint production in 2003 and expanded the Monte Alegre operation through the MA-1100 project, inaugurated in 2008. The company increasingly concentrated on virgin-fiber cartonboard, pulp, paper, and packaging. In the 2010s, Klabin expanded its forestry base and prepared a new integrated pulp complex in Paraná. In 2011, it partnered with Arauco in the acquisition of Florestal Vale do Corisco and bought land near Ortigueira for a new mill. Construction began in 2014. The resulting Puma Unit began operating in 2016, producing hardwood, softwood, and fluff pulp. Klabin also acquired packaging businesses in 2016, opened a technology center in 2017, and invested in Israeli biotechnology company Melodea Bio Based Solutions in 2018 to access nanocrystalline-cellulose technology. The Puma II expansion began in 2019. In 2020, Klabin bought International Paper’s Brazilian packaging division, broadening its converting footprint, while resolving a family dispute concerning royalties for use of the Klabin name through the incorporation of Sogemar. In 2021, BNDES sold part of its Klabin holding and Klabin announced further investment in Puma II. The company’s contemporary model combines managed forests, pulp and paper mills, packaging conversion, recycling, research, and domestic and international sales. Its stated sustainability platform is supported by FSC certification, native-forest conservation, ecological research, and commitments connected with the UN Global Compact and Brazil’s pact against slave labor.
- 2020
International Paper packaging acquisition
[1]Klabin acquires International Paper’s Brazilian packaging division, subject to the subsequent divestment of the Nova Campina unit.
- 2019
Puma II expansion begins
[1]Klabin starts the Puma II expansion program at the Ortigueira complex.
- 2017
Technology Center opens
[1]Klabin opens a research and technology center in Telêmaco Borba.
- 2016
Puma Unit begins operating
[1]The Ortigueira complex starts supplying hardwood, softwood, and fluff pulp.
- 2000
Igaras acquisition
[1]Klabin acquires Igaras Papéis e Embalagens, expanding its carton and packaging presence in Brazil.
- 1998
Forest operations receive FSC certification
[1]Klabin’s forests receive Forest Stewardship Council certification.
- 1979
Klabin becomes publicly traded
[1]The company professionalizes management, creates a board structure, and lists on the São Paulo Stock Exchange.
- 1946
Monte Alegre mill begins operations
[1]The Paraná mill starts production and becomes a central Klabin industrial site.
- 1909
First Klabin paper mill is established
[1]The Companhia Fabricadora de Papel is founded; production starts in 1914.
- 1899
Klabin Irmãos & Cia. is created
[1]The Lafer and Klabin families establish a São Paulo commercial and manufacturing enterprise.
Products and positioning
Integrated, scale-oriented and sustainability-focused producer of renewable fiber, paper, pulp, and packaging products.
Pulp · 2016
Pulp
Klabin produces hardwood eucalyptus pulp, softwood pine pulp, and fluff pulp. The Puma Unit was designed to make all three grades in an integrated complex, giving the company a diversified fiber portfolio for paper, tissue, hygiene, and other applications.
Packaging paper
Kraftliner and packaging paper
Klabin manufactures kraftliner and related packaging papers used in corrugated-board production and transport packaging. Eukaliner is associated with the company’s use of eucalyptus fiber in packaging-paper applications.
Paperboard
Paperboard
The company supplies virgin-fiber cartonboard for folding cartons and other packaging formats. Expansion at Monte Alegre helped establish Klabin as a major global producer of virgin-fiber cartonboard.
Converted packaging
Corrugated cardboard packaging
Klabin converts paper into corrugated boxes and related transport and industrial packaging. Its converting network expanded through acquisitions, including the Brazilian packaging division purchased from International Paper in 2020.
Converted packaging
Industrial sacks
Industrial sacks and bags are manufactured for demanding bulk-product applications. Klabin’s history in this area includes the Lages operation and later expansion of its converting activities.
Forestry products
Timber logs
In addition to supplying wood internally, Klabin sells timber in log form from its managed forestry operations.
Brand decisions
2020
Acquisition of International Paper’s Brazilian packaging divisionM&ABackground
Klabin aimed to increase its converted-packaging capacity and geographic reach in Brazil.
Action taken
Klabin purchased packaging facilities in Brazil; the Nova Campina facility was later sold to Klingele.
Aftermath
The transaction increased Klabin’s corrugated-packaging footprint and reported capacity by 310,000 tonnes per year.
2019
Puma II expansionGeneration changeBackground
Klabin planned additional pulp and packaging-paper capacity at the Puma complex.
Action taken
Construction and investment in the Puma II project began, with later additional investment announcements.
Aftermath
The project became one of the company’s principal expansion programs.
2016
Puma Unit production launchProduct launchBackground
Klabin sought to expand pulp capacity and supply hardwood, softwood, and fluff pulp from one integrated facility.
Action taken
The Ortigueira Puma Unit began operations.
Aftermath
Klabin gained a major integrated pulp platform in Paraná and entered domestic fluff-pulp supply at scale.
2003
Discontinuation of newsprint productionStrategyBackground
Klabin was refocusing its portfolio toward pulp, packaging paper, paperboard, and converted packaging.
Action taken
The company decided to cease newsprint production.
Aftermath
The decision reinforced Klabin’s concentration on forest-products and packaging markets.
Recent events
EcoVadis and Klabin announce sustainable procurement partnership[3]
Reported:
EcoVadis announced a sustainable procurement partnership with Klabin to monitor and assess supplier performance and risk across the global pulp and paper supply chain.
Sources3 sources
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