MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Forest
Stewardship Council® (FSC®) recently recognized International Paper
with an FSC Leadership Award for forest certification commitment
and program innovation. The FSC Leadership Awards celebrate
organizations and people who have demonstrated extraordinary
commitment to responsible forest management and FSC. Winners were
selected by a jury panel of professionals, FSC staff, and board
members and were announced at the FSC Leadership Awards ceremony on
Oct. 5, 2016 at the GRAMMY Museum in
Los Angeles.
International Paper was recognized for its innovative U.S. FSC
certification strategy to increase the amount of FSC certified
fiber used in packaging, pulp, and paper products. One of the ways
International Paper increased the amount of FSC certified fiber was
the development of its own FSC forest management group - Certified
Forest Management LLC (CFM LLC). CFM LLC is managed by
International Paper's fiber supply team and has become a
cost-effective means for small private landowners to become FSC
certified.
As a result of International Paper's efforts with CFM LLC and
the creation and support of International Paper-supplier-based FSC
groups, the company has influenced the growth of more than 1
million acres of FSC lands in the United
States and currently supports 40 suppliers who have FSC
Chain of Custody certificates. This growth has helped International
Paper achieve a 28 percent increase in certified fiber over its
2010 baseline and increased its annual volume of FSC certified tons
by approximately 1.6 million tons.
"We are extremely pleased with our fiber certification efforts
and are thrilled with how many other landowners and wood suppliers
have expressed interest," said Jeremy
Poirier, International Paper fiber certification manager.
"We continue to gain new members resulting in significant growth,
increasing our CFM LLC group to a total of 342,500 acres. It is an
honor to be recognized for our commitment to responsible forestry
management."
"The FSC Leadership Awards recognize organizations and
people who really distinguish themselves in efforts to promote
responsible forest management," said Corey Brinkema, president of the Forest
Stewardship Council US. "The FSC leaders show that with a bit of
creativity and dedication, it's possible to make a big difference
for our forests, wildlife and communities."
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, Asia and
Russia. We produce packaging products that enable world-wide
commerce; pulp for diapers, tissue and other personal hygiene
products; papers that drive communication; paper bags that carry
groceries; and paper cups and food containers. We are headquartered
in Memphis, Tenn., and employ
53,000 colleagues located in more than 24 countries. Net
sales for 2015 were $22 billion.
For more information about International Paper, our products
and global citizenship efforts, please visit
internationalpaper.com.
ABOUT THE FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL
The Forest
Stewardship Council is an independent nonprofit organization that
promotes environmentally sound, socially beneficial, and
economically prosperous management of the world's forests. FSC was
founded in 1993 to help consumers and businesses identify products
from well-managed forests. FSC sets standards by which forests are
certified, offering credible verification to people who are buying
wood and wood products. More than 5,000 companies and nearly 160
million acres of forestland are certified under FSC standards in
the United States and Canada. For more information visit
www.fsc.org.
Twitter: @IntlPaperCo
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/InternationalPaper/
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SOURCE International Paper