Canadian sustainable packaging and tissue products manufacturer Cascades has announced the complete closure of its tissue manufacturing facility in St Helens, Oregon, US.

The move comes as the company decided to close its second paper machine at the St Helens plant.

The tissue plant will cease all operations with effect from this October.

The latest decision comes in support of the company’s previously announced strategy to reposition its tissue paper manufacturing platform to enhance its overall business performance.

The closure of the second paper machine should further simplify the company’s operational platform by allowing Cascades to focus on the majority of its tissue product operating activities at geographically well-positioned sites that can provide better opportunities for future development.

The soon-to-be-closed paper machine has a capacity of producing nearly 50,000 short tons of brown 100% recycled tissue paper per year.

Cascades said this production amount is not integrated into its network, which means that the closure of the machine will not have any impact on the company’s other major operations.

Cascades Tissue Group president and COO Jean-David Tardif said: “Over the past few months, market conditions on the West Coast [US] and a significant decline in demand in this region for brown recycled products specifically manufactured at the facility have compromised the long-term financial viability of the plant.

“Consequently, we made the decision to end the plant's operations.”

The move is expected to impact 75 employees working at the plant.

According to Cascades, the affected workers will have the option to relocate to the company’s other business units located across the US.

Last year, Cascades announced plans to close a corrugator at its Belleville facility in Ontario, Canada.