International Paper To Close Savannah, Riceboro Plants

By Robin Kemp and Craig Nelson, Georgia Recorder

August 22, 2025

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, Alabama, 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.”

IP director of communications, Amy Simpson, said there are approximately 700 workers at the Savannah Mill and 100 at the box plant. The Riceboro plant employs about 300.

“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.”

Reactions

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.”

In Liberty County, county commission chair Donald Lovette was still processing the news on Thursday morning. “”All of a sudden, your life is kind of in limbo. So my heart goes out to all of them, especially those who are near retirement. It’s going to be quite an adjustment for them,” he said.

Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bert Brantley echoed the emphasis on IP contributions to the city and willingness to work to place workers.

“Our Chamber is devastated to hear the news of International Paper’s decision to close its Savannah and Riceboro mills. IP has long been a terrific employer, engaged corporate citizen, and strong partner of the Chamber. In particular, the local leaders at IP have contributed immensely to the betterment of our community in more ways than we can count. We stand ready to work with our state partners at the Georgia Department of Labor, and our local teams at SEDA and RISE to support the employees as they navigate this next step in their lives.”

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’s 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 impact

Riceboro Mayor Chris Stacy fields messages Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in city hall after finding out the International Paper plant he’d worked at for 29 years was closing. Credit: Robin Kemp/The Current GA

The history of the plant goes back nearly 6 decades in Riceboro. The Interstate Paper Corporation established the Riceboro Paper Mill in 1966, the largest privately owned industry Liberty County had ever had, was established near the North Newport River at Riceboro in 1967. It was the site of the old Montevideo Plantation rice farm.

The plant grew to represent $300 million in economic impact for the county, according to Riceboro Mayor Chris Stacy, a 29-year IP employee. He heard the news after he woke up around noon after working last night’s overnight shift.

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. The mill The mill specialized in producing Kraft linerboard, which contains 25%-30% recycled fiber.

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.”

She said she planned to coordinate with SNF, another Riceboro employer, to help find opportunities for IP workers. “They certainly need people, and these will be people who have a great skill set who can blend into what they do, so we’re looking forward to working with them. She said Workforce Coastal, too, we’re going to work with them, of course, Savannah Tech, we’re going to coordinate with them — all the players when it comes to gainful employment.”

Lovette said the county would try to make the process smooth for employees. “About 40% of the employees are from the Liberty County area. The rest of them would be from other areas,” he said. IP was Riceboro’s oldest and second-largest employer; SNF is the largest.

A midday 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 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.

“It’s even going to affect your loggers because the Savannah one is closed, Riceboro’s closed … gotta go to I guess Rayonier or either Brunswick, because there’s no more logging in this area,” Stacy said. “It’s going to affect everybody.”

“How do we recover truck drivers, logging company, all those people are affected in that area, you know? I’m really concerned about that,” Stacy said.

Georgia Speaker of the House Jon Burns (R-Newington), a fifth-generation timber farmer, also cited the longer tail of the closures. “I understand firsthand the challenges of facing changing markets and economic instability. These mill closures will undoubtedly deal a devastating blow not only to Georgia’s timber industry, but to the economic fabric of the entire Southeast Georgia region,” Burns said.

Stacy said that the timeline is tight for workers: “Sept. 8 is going to be the last operational [day] of making product, and the gate’s supposed to be locked on Oct. 20.” He said that the company is “doing some negotiation for service pay for some of the people out there” regarding severance. He also said he’d contacted IP with “just some concerns about making sure they get some help out there for the guys to cope with whatever’s going on. Just kind of saying that, in times like that, you’ve just really got to be careful because you don’t know where people’s minds’ (are) at.”

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.”

Aerial view of International Paper Company aeration ponds and Riceboro Creek from SouthWings flight, Riceboro, June 24, 2025. Robin Kemp/The Current GA

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.”

Leaving history

In Liberty County, commission chair Lovette said the county had been working to help IP stay in the county. He said the move would leave a cultural and emotional void.

“I remember people who were able to leave the timbering process, you know? Because Liberty County was primarily agricultural, of course, and timber,” he said. “And when that company came, they gave people a hand up, if you will. People were able to make a good living and provide for their families right from that company.”

In Riceboro, IP’s plant was previously known as Interstate Paper.

“They’ve been there the longest of anybody. Interstate Paper, I still go back to that name, they were the bread and butter for Liberty County for many, many years,” Lovette said. “A lot of our employees have been gainfully employed there. They were able to build homes and send their children to college, and all those kinds of things that made them a major and respected employee here in Liberty County. It’s been Interstate Paper, International Paper … we owe them a debt of gratitude.”

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