Glatfelter
Corporate brand
UnclaimedGlatfelter was a United States-based producer of engineered papers and specialty nonwoven materials that merged with Berry Global's HHNF business in 2024 to form Magnera Corporation.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile yet.
Overview
Glatfelter was a United States-based specialty materials company whose roots extended to a paper mill founded by Philip Henry Glatfelter in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, in 1864. The business began as a paper producer and developed a long-standing position in specialty papers, filtration media, airlaid materials, and other engineered substrates. Over time, its products were incorporated into tea bags, single-serve coffee filters, personal hygiene articles, packaging, tabletop products, home-improvement materials, and industrial applications. The company was historically associated with the development of large-scale papermaking technology. By 1880 it had installed what was described as the world's largest paper machine, and during the following decade it moved from traditional rag-based papermaking toward the use of wood fiber. Glatfelter also developed an early corporate emphasis on forestry and resource management. In 1934 it began a forestry-management initiative intended to encourage tree planting and reduce erosion, followed by a tree farm established in Pennsylvania and Maryland in 1947. Glatfelter later expanded beyond conventional paper into engineered materials with specialized functional characteristics. Its airlaid materials were used in absorbent and tabletop applications, while its filtration papers supported tea and coffee preparation. The company also marketed substrates for hygiene, packaging, construction, and industrial uses. Its international manufacturing footprint included facilities in North America, Europe, and the Philippines, supported by sales and customers in more than 100 countries. During the late 2010s and early 2020s, Glatfelter reshaped its portfolio through divestitures, acquisitions, and leadership changes. In 2018 it agreed to sell its Specialty Papers division to Lindsay Goldberg, creating the privately held Pixelle Specialty Solutions. In 2021 it purchased Georgia-Pacific's Mount Holly airlaid operation and a Memphis research and development site, and later acquired Jacob Holm, adding manufacturing facilities, sales offices, and employees across several regions. The company also moved its corporate headquarters from York, Pennsylvania, to Charlotte, North Carolina. Glatfelter's independent corporate existence ended in November 2024. It merged with Berry Global's Health, Hygiene and Specialties Global Nonwovens and Films business, a transaction intended to create a larger publicly traded specialty-materials company. The combined company was named Magnera Corporation. Accordingly, Glatfelter is best understood historically as a specialty paper and nonwoven-materials company rather than as an active standalone brand.
History
Glatfelter traces its origins to 1864, when Philip Henry Glatfelter established a paper business in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania. The company became one of the older continuously operating paper enterprises in the United States and built its identity around specialty rather than commodity papermaking. In 1880 it installed what was described as the world's largest paper machine, demonstrating an early willingness to invest in industrial scale and production technology. During the 1880s the business also shifted from rag-based papermaking to wood fiber, reflecting the broader industrial transformation of the paper sector. Resource stewardship became part of the company's operating history during the twentieth century. In 1934 Glatfelter began a forestry-management initiative that encouraged farmers to plant trees and helped address soil erosion. In 1947 it established a managed tree farm in Pennsylvania and Maryland for sustainable forest crops. These efforts predated the modern sustainability language used by specialty-materials companies, but they formed part of Glatfelter's long-term relationship with fiber sourcing and forest management. For much of its history, Glatfelter was known primarily as a paper manufacturer. It gradually expanded into specialty grades and engineered substrates serving filtration, food and beverage preparation, packaging, hygiene, construction, home improvement, and industrial markets. Its materials were used in tea bags and single-serve coffee filters, as well as in products requiring absorbency, strength, porosity, or controlled barrier performance. The company developed an international operating network with manufacturing facilities in the United States, Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the Philippines. In the late 2010s Glatfelter began a more pronounced portfolio transformation. In 2018 it agreed to sell its Specialty Papers division to Lindsay Goldberg for $360 million. The divested business became Pixelle Specialty Solutions, leaving Glatfelter more focused on engineered materials and nonwoven applications. The company announced in 2020 that it would relocate its corporate headquarters from York, Pennsylvania, to Charlotte, North Carolina. Acquisitions expanded the airlaid and nonwoven platform. In June 2021 Glatfelter bought Georgia-Pacific's Mount Holly, North Carolina, airlaid operation and a related research and development facility in Memphis, Tennessee. The Mount Holly facility produced airlaid materials for tabletop and related applications. In October 2021 Glatfelter acquired Jacob Holm, adding four manufacturing sites, six sales offices, and approximately 760 employees across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. These transactions broadened the company's geographic reach and strengthened its position in specialty nonwovens. Leadership changed in August 2022, when Thomas Fahnemann was named president and chief executive officer. He replaced Dante C. Parrini, who left after a career of approximately 25 years with the company. The board appointed Kevin Fogarty, an independent director, as non-executive chairman. Glatfelter also faced environmental scrutiny. In 2016 reporting based on United States Environmental Protection Agency data placed its Spring Grove mill near the highest one percent of evaluated toxic-air-pollution sources. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection had cited the company for significant violations, and federal authorities had identified significant Clean Air Act violations. Glatfelter stated that it was committed to improving environmental performance. The company sold the Spring Grove mill in 2018. The final stage of Glatfelter's history was its combination with Berry Global's Health, Hygiene and Specialties Global Nonwovens and Films business. Berry and Glatfelter announced the transaction in 2024, and the merger was completed on November 4, 2024. The combined business became Magnera Corporation, a larger specialty-materials company. Glatfelter therefore remains an important historical name in paper and engineered nonwoven materials, but it is no longer an independent operating company.
- 2024
Merger creates Magnera Corporation
[1]Glatfelter merged with Berry Global's HHNF business on November 4, ending its independent corporate existence.
- 2022
Thomas Fahnemann becomes chief executive
[1]Thomas Fahnemann succeeded Dante C. Parrini as president and chief executive officer.
- 2021
Mount Holly and Memphis operations acquired
[1]The company acquired an airlaid plant in Mount Holly, North Carolina, and a research and development operation in Memphis, Tennessee.
- 2021
Jacob Holm acquired
[1]The acquisition expanded Glatfelter's nonwoven-materials operations and international commercial network.
- 2020
Headquarters relocation announced
[1]Glatfelter announced a move of its corporate headquarters from York, Pennsylvania, to Charlotte, North Carolina.
- 2018
Specialty Papers division divested
[1]Glatfelter agreed to sell its Specialty Papers division to Lindsay Goldberg; the business became Pixelle Specialty Solutions.
- 1947
Managed tree farm established
[1]The company established a tree farm in Pennsylvania and Maryland for managed forest crops.
- 1934
Forestry-management initiative begins
[1]Glatfelter began encouraging tree planting and practices intended to reduce soil erosion.
- 1880
Large-scale paper-machine installation
[1]Glatfelter installed what was described as the world's largest paper machine at the time.
- 1880
Transition toward wood-fiber papermaking
[1]The company shifted from rag-based papermaking toward wood fiber during the 1880s.
Products and positioning
Glatfelter positioned itself as a global supplier of engineered papers and specialty nonwoven materials, emphasizing application-specific performance, international manufacturing, and material solutions for filtration, hygiene, packaging, home improvement, and industrial markets.
Filtration media
Tea and coffee filtration papers
Glatfelter produced specialty filtration papers used in tea bags and single-serve coffee formats. These materials were engineered for controlled porosity, wet strength, and reliable passage of water while retaining tea or coffee particles. The products represented one of the company's most recognizable specialty-paper applications and connected its materials business with everyday food and beverage preparation.
Nonwoven materials
Airlaid materials
Airlaid materials formed a major part of Glatfelter's later specialty-materials portfolio. They were used in absorbent, tabletop, hygiene, and related applications where softness, bulk, liquid management, and material efficiency were important. The acquisition of the Mount Holly operation and later expansion through Jacob Holm strengthened Glatfelter's manufacturing and commercial position in airlaid and nonwoven substrates.
Paper products
Specialty papers
Specialty papers were the historical foundation of Glatfelter's business. The company supplied engineered paper grades for filtration, packaging, food and beverage uses, and industrial applications. In 2018 Glatfelter sold its Specialty Papers division to Lindsay Goldberg, after which the operation became Pixelle Specialty Solutions. The divestiture marked a significant shift away from the company's traditional paper-centered portfolio.
Engineered materials
Hygiene and industrial substrates
Glatfelter supplied engineered paper and nonwoven substrates for personal hygiene, packaging, home improvement, and industrial products. Rather than being sold primarily as consumer-facing finished goods, these materials were incorporated into customers' products and manufacturing processes. Their performance characteristics could include absorbency, strength, softness, filtration, porosity, and suitability for converting or composite construction.
Controversies
2016
Environmental compliance concerns at Spring Grove mill
Glatfelter's Spring Grove paper mill drew scrutiny after data placed it near the top one percent of evaluated United States toxic-air-pollution sources. State and federal authorities had also cited the company for significant environmental violations, including Clean Air Act matters. Glatfelter said it remained committed to improving environmental performance. The mill was sold in 2018.
Marketing campaigns
- 2009Sustainable tea-packaging activity
International tea and beverage markets
Glatfelter's work on sustainable tea packaging was highlighted in trade coverage, reflecting the company's effort to connect filtration materials with resource and packaging concerns.
Outcome. The activity supported the company's specialty-filtration positioning, although no separately documented campaign result is available.
Brand decisions
2024
Merger with Berry Global's HHNF businessM&ABackground
Glatfelter and Berry Global sought to combine complementary specialty-materials and nonwoven operations into a larger publicly traded platform.
Action taken
Glatfelter merged with Berry Global's Health, Hygiene and Specialties Global Nonwovens and Films business on November 4, 2024.
Aftermath
The combined company was named Magnera Corporation, and Glatfelter ceased operating as an independent company.
2021
Expansion of airlaid and nonwoven operationsM&ABackground
Glatfelter was expanding its engineered-materials platform beyond traditional papers.
Action taken
It acquired the Mount Holly airlaid operation and Memphis research and development site from Georgia-Pacific, then acquired Jacob Holm later in the year.
Aftermath
The transactions increased manufacturing capacity, research capability, geographic coverage, and exposure to hygiene and nonwoven-material applications.
2020
Corporate headquarters relocationStrategyBackground
Glatfelter sought to realign its corporate base with its evolving international specialty-materials business.
Action taken
The company announced that its headquarters would move from York, Pennsylvania, to Charlotte, North Carolina.
Aftermath
Charlotte became the company's reported headquarters before its later merger into Magnera.
2018
Sale of Specialty Papers divisionM&ABackground
Glatfelter was reshaping its portfolio toward engineered materials and nonwoven applications.
Action taken
The company agreed to sell its Specialty Papers division to Lindsay Goldberg, creating Pixelle Specialty Solutions.
Aftermath
The transaction reduced Glatfelter's exposure to its traditional specialty-paper business and established Pixelle as a separate private company.
Transaction value. $360 million (Announced August 2018)
Recent events
Reported
Glatfelter announces Composite Fibers price increase[2]
Glatfelter announced that it would increase prices for all Composite Fibers products by up to 8%, effective March 15, 2021, or as customer contracts permit. The company attributed the decision to increases in raw-material and energy costs and transportation and logistics capacity shortages.
Sources3 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/glatfelter · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled