E-commerce, winter storms, and other factors contributed to the supply squeeze.
But one CEO says it stops short of a shortage.
International Paper makes one in every three boxes in the US, and it — along with the rest of the industry — is dealing with supply squeezes amid larger concern that manufactures could soon face a cardboard shortage.
Thomas Ryan, the director of corporate communications at International Paper, said that the reason was multifaceted. "As COVID restrictions began to loosen, the economy started to pick up steam," he told Insider. "Then, the winter storms hit, and inputs began to get tight – for us, fiber, recovered fiber, petroleum derivatives such as chemicals for adhesives. Then, add a tight labor market to the mix."