Policies and Certificates
For more than 110 years, International Paper has championed the sustainable management of natural resources. Today, we continue to build on this tradition as we look for new and innovative ways to further improve our environmental footprint, strengthen our strategic partnerships and strike a critical balance among environmental, social and financial performance.
Because our products are primarily made with wood fiber, our commitment to environmental excellence naturally begins in the forest. While our global forestland ownership has decreased, our commitment to stewardship has not. Our products, policies and procurement practices continue to help keep the world’s forests healthy and productive. Customer needs for our paper and packaging products drive our demand for wood fiber, most of which we purchase from private landowners.
In turn, our commitment to purchase fiber from responsibly managed sources encourages these landowners to plant more trees and continue to manage their lands rather than convert them to non-forest uses such as commercial development. In fact, the U.S. forest products industry plants more trees than it harvests each year – about 1.7 million trees per day. When trees are grown in responsibly managed forests, they are a renewable resource.
Beyond the forest, our environmental commitment continues through the life of our products. From design and manufacturing to end use, recycling and disposal, we view product sustainability as fundamental to running a successful business.