In June 2023, the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill in Canton, North Carolina officially closed after 115 years of operations. For the people of this small town, the closure marks a major shift in a cultural and industrial identity that has been built over generations.
North Carolina is not alone. The United States has seen an increase in paper mill closures in recent years. These closures are often attributed to high operating costs, a push for more sustainably produced and recycled products, and the increase of automated competition overseas; factors affecting forest-related industries writ large.
As Canton residents reckon with what the mill means for their workforce and cultural identity, their journey can provide valuable lessons to cities and communities around the country facing similar transitions. WRI traveled to Caton in April 2024 to conduct interviews with economic development experts and forest industry professionals in the region. The interviews offered insights into how the community has faced adversity in the past, where economic opportunities lie within the town and the surrounding area, and what specific repercussions of the closure exist for the forest industry.
Changes in Canton’s Community
The Pactiv Evergreen paper mill was the largest employer in the Canton area and its closure affected over 1,000 workers directly. While many residents would like to see another similar employer take its place, the site itself poses challenges. Aside from the typically robust cleanup needed after a paper mill shutdown, this specific mill is located within a floodplain.
In May 2024, Pactiv Evergreen announced a deal to sell its former mill site to Spirtas Worldwide, a demolition, environmental remediation and asset purchase company based in St. Louis, Missouri. It is not yet clear what the business intends to do with the site.
As the Canton community shifts away from its industrial heritage, understanding the full picture of what these changes mean to the larger community, workers, employees, and the environment can help to ensure a just and equitable transition. To overlook the “social strain that’s placed on a community” in a situation like this, says Erica Anderson, Deputy Executive Director and Director of Economic & Community Development at Land of Sky Regional Council, is to lose a critical piece of this story.
Rebuilding Canton’s Workforce
This closure has sent shock waves throughout the forest sector, affecting foresters, loggers and others in the value chain alongside paper mill workers. In a region already reeling from the collapse of the textile and furniture industries that once thrived there, it stirs up questions around the loss of generational skills and what the future of the workforce could look like.
As forest professionals in and around Canton consider their employment prospects, the closure of the mill highlights the need for skilling and reskilling programs that can help workers adapt as industries and communities shift across the country.
For forest sector professionals who worked directly or indirectly with the mill, its closure meant more than just the end of employment. Without a direct monetary value connected to these professional’s skills, it can be challenging to justify their relevance. “One concern we have in the world of forestry is that our forestry base, the loggers, the transporters, the people that are actually helping do the work in the forest, as they become more out of demand, we’re going to see practitioners in that industry dwindle,” says Lang Hornthall, Co-Executive Director of EcoForesters. Without the economic ties to the mill, foresters and loggers lose the incentives to maintain their operations, thus radically changing their way of life.
While economic mechanisms were set up to prevent formerly employed mill workers from falling through the cracks, finding a new job, particularly in a new industry, can present unexpected barriers. Ensuring training and reskilling programs are available in a geographically and economically equitable way is essential for working professionals undergoing transitions such as a mill closure.
These videos show the human side of how shifts in climate, markets, culture, and society have wide ranging impacts. Due to the impacts of climate change, North Carolina and other southeastern states have experienced an increase in extreme weather over the past decade. Severe wildfires, storms and floods have resulted in the loss of lives and livelihoods. The devastation wrought in Asheville, North Carolina and the surrounding areas by Hurricane Helene in September 2024 is just one example of the growing threats posed by a warming planet.
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, it is critical to remember that these are real people, and their lives, along with many others, have been impacted by the storm, and the wider effects of climate change. We urge readers to donate or contribute in whichever ways they find meaningful or appropriate to the relief efforts in areas impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Special thank you to Erica Anderson, Russ Harris, Lang Hornthal, Thomas White, Christopher Brown, Bill Dugan and Flavio Galvao.
