International Paper Receives 2021 Friend of the Forest Award

The Arbor Day Foundation has awarded International Paper the prestigious 2021 Friend of the Forest Award. International Paper is among six individuals, nonprofits, and companies who received an Arbor Day Award in 2021.

The Friend of the Forest Award recognizes a corporation and its leaders for their commitment to using trees and forests to achieve sustainability goals and targets. The winner of the award must have established innovative programs using trees and nature as solutions to challenges in nature sustainability. They also have to demonstrate efforts to engage employees in tree planting activities and create models that can be used by other organizations to advance corporate sustainability and forestry practices everywhere.

International Paper works with the Arbor Day Foundation to achieve its Vision 2030 goals. These include the goals to conserve and restore 1 million acres of ecologically significant forest land and also to improve the lives of 100 million people in its communities. In the last year, International Paper, in partnership with Arbor Day Foundation, planted 52,000 trees in communities affected by natural disaster.

In 2019, International Paper began working with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant and distribute trees in areas affected by natural disasters. These trees have provided hope and healing to many who have faced incredible hardships following hurricanes, fires, floods and tornados. This partnership has continued to grow, and, in March of 2019, International Paper also joined the foundation’s Evergreen Alliance. The Alliance is a cohort of 18 corporations dedicated to supporting the Arbor Day Foundation’s efforts to plant 100 million trees and engage five million tree planters by 2022. Since 2020, International Paper has planted and distributed more than 150,000 trees both domestically and internationally.

Since 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has recognized the inspiring and life-changing work of leading environmental stewards and tree planters through the annual Arbor Day Awards. Award winners from previous years include the late Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, the United States Forest Service and Verizon Communications.

About Arbor Day Foundation

Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with more than one million members, supporters and valued partners. Since 1972, more than 400 million Arbor Day Foundation trees have been planted in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. Our vision is to help others understand and use trees as a solution to many of the global issues we face today, including air quality, water quality, climate change, deforestation, poverty and hunger.

As one of the world's largest operating conservation foundations, the Arbor Day Foundation, through its members, partners and programs, educates and engages stakeholders and communities across the globe to involve themselves in its mission of planting, nurturing and celebrating trees. More information is available at arborday.org.

About International Paper

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a leading global producer of renewable fiber-based packaging, pulp and paper products with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, Europe, North Africa and Russia. We produce corrugated packaging products that protect and promote goods, and enable world-wide commerce; pulp for diapers, tissue and other personal hygiene products that promote health and wellness; and papers that facilitate education and communication. We are headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., employ approximately 48,000 colleagues and serve more than 25,000 customers in 150 countries. Net sales for 2020 were $21 billion. For more information about International Paper, our products and global citizenship efforts, please visit internationalpaper.com.

See International Paper’s 2020 planting projects with Arbor Day Foundation.