How International Paper Is Making a Difference
Originally published in International Paper's 2022 Sustainability Report
Community investment
We mobilize our people, products and resources to address critical needs in the communities where our employees live and work.
Our Vision 2030 target challenges us to improve the lives of 100 million people by decade’s end through initiatives that address unmet basic needs. To deliver on that promise, we engage our employees and partners across four signature areas: education, hunger, health & wellness and disaster relief.
Through a combination of locally driven support, grant funding and national and global collaborations, we work together to address basic needs, provide access and fill gaps that enable people to build stronger, more resilient communities.
To track, measure and analyze our impact, we team with our nonprofit partners to employ standardized metrics and reporting that quantify the number of lives improved through our volunteers and contributions.
- $20M
In 2022, International Paper contributed nearly $20 million worldwide to support charitable organizations aligned with our signature causes, positively impacting more than 10 million people.
- 12,000
In 2022, International Paper employees generously supported our communities through more than 12,000 volunteer hours across 23 U.S. states and nine countries. We’re proud of our volunteers’ contributions, including those of hourly employees.
Our signature causes:
How we’re making a difference
- Education:
We focus on literacy from birth through third grade because reading skills form the foundation of all childhood learning.
- Hunger:
We partner with food banks and other agencies to address hunger and food security for children, families and seniors.
- Health and Wellness:
We engage our employees and work with agencies to promote healthy living habits and achieve measurable improvements in health and wellness.
- Disaster Relief:
We partner with agencies to help communities prepare for and recover from natural disasters, and we use our Employee Relief Fund to support our affected colleagues.
Spotlight:
Fighting global hunger
Through our long-standing partnership with Feeding America, in 2022 we contributed $630,000 to food banks and pantries in 200 U.S. communities. We donated 250,000 boxes to support Feeding America’s event held in conjunction with the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health. We also continued to support The Global FoodBanking Network through a 4-year, $1 million commitment that supports 175 food banks around the world.
Helping the helpers
- In Indiana, employees with our Indianapolis Urban Cluster volunteered with Gleaners Food Bank to assemble and fill 600 Family Meal Boxes which is equivalent to 12,500 meals.
- In Virginia, our Wreaths Across America mission remembers fallen U.S. veterans by providing in-kind donations of customized shipping boxes, as well as funding and transportation for more than 2 million wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery.
- In Chile, we provided Fundación Ave Fénix, a local organization in Graneros focused on access for people with disabilities, with a sensory playground, and partner with The Global FoodBanking Network to distribute 1,500 metric tons of produce to over 1,700 community organizations serving nearly 350,000 people.
- In Canada, our Grand Prairie, Alberta mill helped Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology (WISEST) place 47 11th grade young women and genderdiverse individuals in Science, Engineering and Technology labs at the University of Alberta and the Northern Alberta Institute for Technology (NAIT).
$3M
In 2022, our employee giving and company matching gift programs generated nearly $3 million to help people in need throughout our communities.
A closer look:
The Period Poverty Program
Lack of access to adequate menstrual health management supplies and education affects 500 million women and girls globally. Our award-winning Fighting Period Poverty in Our Communities program provides period care kits containing supplies for women and girls who have no access to these products.
In 2022, in conjunction with International Women’s Day and Menstrual Hygiene Day, we joined forces with Procter & Gamble’s Always® brand to expand awareness and impact. We hosted 45 packing events to distribute 25,000 feminine care kits internationally, resulting in more than 600,000 units of product provided to women and girls who need them most. International Paper was awarded an inaugural Diversity, Equity and Inclusion award from the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA) for this initiative.
About International Paper
International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a global producer of planet-friendly packaging, pulp and other fiber-based products, and one of North America’s largest recyclers. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., we employ approximately 39,000 colleagues globally who are committed to creating what’s next. We serve customers worldwide, with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, North Africa and Europe. Net sales for 2022 were $21.2 billion. Additional information can be found by visiting InternationalPaper.com.
