Paper Company Lays Off Over 1,500 People, Closes 4 Facilities

International Paper touts itself as being one of the world's leading paper manufacturers, with plants and distribution centers all over the United States.

Their footprint is getting smaller and smaller by the day, though. Last month, International Paper laid off over 650 employees due to some restructuring.

Now the company has announced that they are shuttering four more plants and laying off hundreds more people.

The International Paper factories that are closing are in Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Tennessee. They are calling their downsizing "a transformational journey."

Let's break this down: In Tennessee, International Paper is laying off 115 workers. At their Missouri plant, they will be terminating 150 more people.

Over at their North Carolina facility, they are laying off 74 folks, while in Illinois they don't know how many employees will be affected, but the distribution center there will be closing, as well.

This amounts to more 1,500 layoffs in the past 30 days at International Paper — not a great look for them or the American economy.

International Paper says this will all be done on or before December 18, just in time for the holidays.

Company spokesperson Amy Simpson made the following statement:

"The decision to close these facilities was difficult but these actions will allow us to shift resources and increase our investments in facilities where we can best serve our customers through improved quality, reliability and service delivery."

International Paper is said to serve more than 25,000 people in 150 countries, so while their footprint will still be massive, it will be considerably reduced by Christmas.