The company was started by Philip Henry Glatfelter in 1864 in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania.

In 2016, Glatfelter's Spring Grove paper mill was listed just outside the top 1% of toxic air pollution sources in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ranking 160 out of 15,461 sites evaluated.

[9] The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection cited the company for two significant violations since 2013, and the company has been federally cited for significant violations of the Clean Air Act.

In response to these violations and subsequent press coverage, a Glatfelter representative stated to the York Daily Record that the company maintains a commitment to improving its environmental performance.

[citation needed] Glatfelter sold the Spring Grove mill in 2018.