New headquarters in Atlanta
will extend the company's global commitment to provide innovative
sustainable packaging and solutions
ATLANTA, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- DS Smith plc
(LON:SMDS), a leading provider of sustainable packaging, today
announces its further expansion in North
America with the opening of its new headquarters in
Atlanta, Georgia. Its growth into
the North American market follows its acquisition of Interstate
Resources and Corrugated Container Corporation, and The Display
Connection.
The company's momentum and leadership in environmental and
sustainability stewardship in Europe offers a launchpad for its expansion in
North America, and comes at a time
when consumers seek more options for sustainable packaging.
DS Smith's closed-loop recycling model – where paper and
corrugated is collected, recycled and then used again to make
packaging materials – has proven successful in Europe, helping the company to manage more
than 5 million tons of recyclable materials every year. The
company's expansion into North
America is a response to global and local customer requests
for similar sustainable packaging solutions in North America.
"We've always thrived on finding innovative ways to help
customers achieve more for less – sell more, reduce costs, manage
risk and complexity in their supply chain," said Miles Roberts, Global CEO of DS Smith. "For
years, we've helped companies across industries—from pharma and
consumer packaged goods to retail and e-commerce—to redefine
packaging across the world, and this expansion marks a key
milestone in our journey to bring our innovative business model to
the U.S."
DS Smith recently reinforced its commitment to the circular
economy when it announced a global partnership with the Ellen
MacArthur Foundation, a global thought leader in accelerating the
transition to a circular economy. The partnership will advance DS
Smith's influence in the circular economy and support innovation
across the business, including pilots focusing on urban recycling
and carbon-efficiency in e-commerce.
"We see a major opportunity to redefine packaging for the U.S.
using our closed-loop system and heritage as a leading innovator in
Europe. Our new Atlanta headquarters will help us with that
effort," said Jim Morgan, President
and CEO of DS Smith North America. "Atlanta is a global hub of activity for the
packaging industry and we're excited to bring competitive,
challenging career opportunities to this particular market, while
having access to some of the country's top talent."
The headquarters announcement is the most recent expansion
announcement for DS Smith in North
America in 2019. The first, a groundbreaking milestone for a
Greenfield facility in
Lebanon, Ind., took place in
January. The new headquarters facility is located in the vibrant
Buckhead neighborhood of
Atlanta, and will serve more than
50 employees in DS Smith's sales, marketing, finance, legal and
technical departments. In addition to the Greenfield facility development in
Indiana and its headquarters
announcement, the company plans to announce additional Greenfield sites and will open its first
recycling depot in the near term.
As part of the expansion in North
America, the company is also growing its U.S.- based team.
In the first half of 2019, DS Smith added a number of new leaders
to its North America Packaging and Paper team, and has plans to
continue to grow.
About DS Smith
DS Smith is a leading provider of
corrugated worldwide, supported by recycling and papermaking
operations. Headquartered in London and a member of the FTSE 100, DS Smith
focuses on creating innovative sustainable packaging solutions in
37 countries employing around 30,000 people. Using the combined
expertise of its divisions – including Packaging, Recycling, Paper
– DS Smith works with customers to deliver solutions that reduce
complexity and deliver results throughout the supply chain. Its
history can be traced back to the box-making businesses started in
the 1940s by the Smith family.