DS Smith is bolstering its presence in Poland with an investment exceeding €25 million to upgrade production lines and machinery at its facilities in Kielce, Bełchatów, and Sosnowiec. This initiative is part of the company's strategic expansion in Central and Eastern Europe and underscores its commitment to leading the transition to sustainable, fiber-based packaging solutions. A significant portion of the investment, €22 million, is allocated to expanding the Kielce packaging facility, which now features advanced machinery, including the Bobst Masterline 2.1 die-cutter. This enhancement aims to automate and refine the flexography production process, increasing annual packaging capacity in Poland by approximately 25 million square meters and glued boxes by 7.5 million square meters. In Bełchatów, a new production line has been established for the DS Smith Easy Bowl solution, catering to the fresh food sector. Meanwhile, the Sosnowiec facility has received investments in machinery dedicated to producing sustainable, fiber-based paper bags for the e-commerce industry. Reinier Schlatmann, Regional Managing Director of DS Smith's Packaging Division in Eastern Europe, stated, "By enhancing our production capabilities, we are able to provide our customers—leading fast-moving consumer goods brands, major retailers, e-commerce entities, and industrial companies—with increased options for recyclable and circular solutions that will help them to achieve their sustainability targets and support consumer demand for sustainable change." These investments align with DS Smith's Now & Next sustainability strategy, which recently achieved a milestone of replacing over one billion pieces of plastic in collaboration with customers, ahead of the 2025 target. The company's focus remains on innovating sustainable and circular packaging solutions, prioritizing plastic elimination and CO₂ reduction in its strategic planning.