Spotlight: Integrating Renewable Solutions Into International Paper's Business Model
Originally published in International Paper's 2021 Sustainability Report
Integrating Renewable Solutions into our business model and every day operations is critical to our success. We are committed to advancing circular solutions across our value chain and developing innovative, sustainable fiber-based products that are 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable.
We know our customers want products that contribute to a more sustainable, low-carbon future, including fiber-based alternatives to carbon-intensive products. Our products can offer a more sustainable alternative, and opportunities to advance a circular, low-carbon economy abound across every aspect of our value chain.
We recognize that to best discover and leverage these opportunities, we need to collaborate with customers, suppliers and each other to build circular processes into the work we do every day. And so we are.
Our Global Cellulose Fiber team led a two-part event in September 2021 to introduce the concepts of a circular economy, align them with our cellulose fiber business and brainstorm to discover more ways to contribute to the circular economy and provide renewable solutions for our customers. We engaged more than 100 employees from our innovation, technology, marketing, Customer Technical Service and sustainability teams in the sessions, surfacing 100+ innovative concepts that we are testing for feasibility and that focus on:
- Replacing plastic and petroleum-based materials for absorbent and specialty product groups
- Reducing lifecycle impacts including GHG emissions, waste and water use,
- Improving end of life solutions, through compostability and recyclability, and
- Allowing for less raw material consumption overall
About International Paper
International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a leading global producer of renewable fiber-based products. We produce corrugated packaging products that protect and promote goods, and enable worldwide commerce, and pulp for diapers, tissue and other personal care products that promote health and wellness. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., we employ approximately 38,000 colleagues globally. We serve customers worldwide, with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, North Africa and Europe. Net sales for 2021 were $19.4 billion. Additional information can be found by visiting internationalpaper.com.
