Justice Department probes packaging firms over box prices

Three of the largest U.S. makers of cardboard products said they received grand jury subpoenas from the Justice Department as part of a potential criminal price-fixing investigation. Smurfit Westrock, International Paper Co. and Packaging Corporation of America disclosed the subpoenas — part of a grand jury investigation in Chicago federal court — in separate regulatory filings this week. In its filing, Smurfit Westrock said the probe was focused on the pricing and sale of containerboard and related products. The companies said in their filings that they are cooperating fully with the investigation. They didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. A class-action lawsuit last year accused containerboard makers of conspiring to fix prices on products starting in 2020. The defendants in the case included Smurfit Westrock, International Paper, PCA, Koch Industries’ Georgia-Pacific, Greif Inc., Pratt Industries and Canada’s Cascades Inc. Georgia-Pacific, Pratt, Greif and Cascades didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment about whether they have also been contacted by prosecutors. Bob Toews, CEO of TruckDown, discusses winter readiness in the connected fleet era. Tune in above or by going to RoadSigns.ttnews.com. Smurfit Westrock, International Paper and Pratt rank Nos. 4, 6 and 9, respectively, on the Transport Topics sector list of the top paper/office products carriers. The Justice Department hasn’t formally accused any of the companies or their employees of a crime, and investigations don’t always lead to charges. The litigation comes as the global containerboard industry has become more concentrated in recent decades. Smurfit Westrock is the result of a 2024 merger between Ireland-based Smurfit Kappa and Atlanta-based…

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