AGENCY
TEAM
BLACKSTONE
3D
TYPE DESIGN
PHOTO
STYLING
COLLINS
Brian Collins
Leland Maschmeyer
Astrid Stavro
Kristina Bartosova
Oilang Maui
Stalyn Almanzar
Bidnam Lee
Dev Valladares
Tom Elia
Maggie Beckham
Alex Athanasiou
Lynn Oh
Jonny Bauer
Olivia Legere
Tom Callard
Pedro Veneziano
Sharp Type
Kristina Bartosova
Mari Juliano
Nicole Louie
When the global paper industry entered a decade-long spiral of contraction and bankruptcies, Rolland, a 140-year-old Canadian mill seemed destined for the same fate. Instead of accepting decline, we reframed the narrative. Through the lens of the material transition, shifting from “dirty” to clean materials, we uncovered a powerful truth: Rolland wasn’t a paper mill at all. It was a clean materials engine.
With 100% recycled water, 93% biogas-powered energy, 2.2 million pounds of paper waste reclaimed daily, and FDA-certified food-grade output, the company was already operating as a circular system hiding in plain sight.
COLLINS relaunched Rolland as Sustana, anchoring it in a clear mission: adding sustainability to everyday products. The transformation repositioned the business from commodity supplier to ingredient brand and strategic partner, expanding its total addressable market far beyond paper into the broader clean materials sector, 4.5x larger. By defining a clean-material acquisition strategy and supporting horizontal integration, the new platform unlocked growth, strengthened differentiation, and catalyzed partnerships with major global brands. What looked like industrial decline became category reinvention.