Smurfit Kappa Group plc (LSE:SKG) is in talks with Atlanta-based WestRock over a potential combination to create Smurfit WestRock, a global leader in sustainable packaging.
The deal, if completed, would create one of the world’s largest paper and packaging companies.
No financial details were given but a report by the Wall Street Journal suggested the combined group could be worth around US$20 billion.
Smurfit, which is listed in London but based in Dublin, said the enlarged company would have its global headquarters in Ireland with US operations remaining in Atlanta.
In the last 12 months, the two groups generated revenue and adjusted EBITDA of approximately US$34 billion and US$5.5 billion, respectively.
The firms are targeting annual pre-tax run-rate cost synergies in excess of US$400 million at the end of the first full year following completion.
Smurfit Kappa said it would combine two highly complementary portfolios to create a global leader in sustainable packaging with unparalleled geographic reach across 42 countries with a significant presence across both Europe and the Americas.