"Our North American region continues to make significant operational and commercial progress. Our team is progressively implementing our owner operator model and improving operating efficiency." – Tony Smurfit, President and CEO, Smurfit Westrock.
July 29, 2026 - Smurfit Westrock plc (NYSE: SW) today announced the financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026.
Key Points:
Tony Smurfit, President and CEO, commented:
"I am pleased to report a strong second quarter performance with Adjusted EBITDA of $1,140 million and an Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 14.2%. The quarter was impacted by significantly higher input costs, particularly freight, which we managed to mitigate through our actions. Positively, demand for paper remained strong throughout the quarter with a generally excellent supply/demand backdrop. As always, we fully expect to recover input cost inflation through the second half of the year and beyond.
"In the two years since the formation of Smurfit Westrock, we have driven a significant cultural and operational shift in our business. I have always believed that our strongest differentiators are the commitment and dedication of our people and the strength of our culture. As we target an accelerated path to growth through our Medium-Term Plan, I am excited that we have an excellent team which will realize Smurfit Westrock's true potential.
"Our North American region continues to make significant operational and commercial progress. Our team is progressively implementing our owner operator model and improving operating efficiency. Pricing initiatives have been implemented to recover increased input costs across practically all paper grades, and we are beginning to see the benefits from our commercial approach in our converting businesses. As we begin the third quarter, our mill system is generally running full with strong order books and an improving outlook for our converting operations.
"Our EMEA and APAC region continues to outperform. This region is exceptionally well positioned and our actions on improving productivity and providing superior service and innovation for customers is gaining significant new business for us. While certain input costs are continuing to rise, these are being recovered with the customary lag.
"Our Latin American region delivered another excellent performance as a result of our strong market positions and continuing benefits from our investment programs. We see significant growth opportunities, and we are well positioned to develop this region through both internal investment and acquisition.
"In April we hosted over 200 global customers at our flagship innovation packaging event. I am very proud that we continue to be recognized by customers across all regions with numerous awards received for our approach towards innovation, sustainability and service. We continuously transfer best practice, operating excellence and innovation across markets, regions and continents for the benefit of our customers.
"We also continued to optimize our system with a mill closure in the UK and are in the process of closing a further 8 facilities in our converting business in both Europe and the North American region."
"Looking ahead, we are very encouraged by the current market back drop and the significant improvements we have made within our business. With input costs remaining elevated, especially freight, we currently expect third quarter Adjusted EBITDA to be approximately $1.3 billion and for the full year Adjusted EBITDA2 we expect to be in the range of $4.9 billion to $5.1 billion with good momentum through the latter half of 2026 and beyond," Mr. Smurfit concluded.
Smurfit Westrock is a leading provider of paper-based packaging solutions in the world, with approximately 96,000 employees across 40 countries.
SOURCE: Smurfit Westrock