Irani boosts profit by 34% after driving corrugated cardboard sales well above the Brazilian market

The Brazilian corrugated cardboard market showed flat behavior in the third quarter of 2026, but Irani Papel e Embalagem decided not to participate in that stagnation. The company reported a net profit of R$56.5 million, representing a 34.3% year-on-year jump, backed by record revenues of R$456.6 million. The engine of this advance is clear: an 11.5% growth in the sales volume of corrugated cardboard packaging, reaching 47,668 tons.

This performance contrasts sharply with data from the sector association Empapel, which reflects a 0.1% contraction in the national market during the same period. The strategy executed by the executive leadership, headed by CEO Odivan Carlos Cargnin and Packaging Business Director Lindomar Lima de Souza, marks a tactical turning point. After a cycle focused on defending margins and prices, Irani has returned to aggressive volume capture, raising its market share from 3.8% to 4.3%.

On an operational level, the industrial machinery supports this commercial traction. The production of sustainable packaging paper grew by 5.4%, reaching 85,200 tons. This production record relies directly on the ramp-up curve of Project Gaia XI, centered on Paper Machine 5 (PM#5). As a result, the company's adjusted EBITDA reached R$151.9 million, a sequential advance of 15.5% compared to the previous quarter.

The paper manufacturer's long-term vision is consolidated with the execution of the Neos platform and the Gaia XII project. This initiative will inject R$514 million into the Santa Luzia unit in Minas Gerais to expand the capacity of Paper Machine 7 (PM#7) by 60% by the fourth quarter of 2029. In a complex macroeconomic environment, Irani's ability to gain ground on its competitors while improving its profitability demonstrates the strength of its vertical integration and commercial agility in the South American packaging sector.