Toilet paper and paper towels are common staples in the home. Millions of people across the U.S. rely on paper products. Our industry prioritizes sustainable manufacturing and practices. Below we answer common questions about toilet paper and paper towels. Dive in and explore why they are a responsible choice. How are Toilet Paper and Paper Towels Made in the U.S.? The U.S. tissue industry uses 2 primary inputs to make toilet paper and paper towels.

Graphic Packaging International (“Graphic Packaging” or the “Company”), a global leader in sustainable consumer packaging, today announced it has entered into a virtual Power Purchase Agreement (“vPPA”) in Europe with Zelestra, a client-focused, multi-technology, global renewable energy company.The vPPA supports Zelestra in adding renewable electricity to the European power grid and advances Graphic Packaging’s commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions by receiving renewable energy attribute certificates[1] generated by the project. The renewable electricity generated by two of Zelestra’s solar projects to be built in Spain – José Cabrera and Socovos II – will have a combined total capacity of 83 megawatts (MWdc). Graphic Packaging expects to receive renewable energy attribute certificates1 corresponding to approximately 86 percent of the solar projects’ output. The agreement is a strategic component in achieving Graphic Packaging’s science-based target to reduce Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 50.4 percent by 20322. It will increase the Company’s purchased renewable electricity in Europe to approximately 70 percent.

International Paper (IP) reaffirms its dedication to conserving forest ecosystems, nature and biodiversity with a $15.3 million investment to renew strategic alliances with key conservation partners, including the American Forest Foundation (AFF), National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). These collaborations are pivotal to IP's business strategy and Vision 2030 goal to conserve and restore 1 million acres of ecologically significant forestland. "International Paper's success depends on the sustainability of forests – and so does the future of our planet," said Sophie Beckham, vice president and chief sustainability officer, International Paper. "Renewing these strategic partnerships underscores our commitment to positively impact nature while delivering low-carbon, sustainable, fiber-based products to our customers."

IPG has issued its 2023 sustainability report, highlighting the company’s achievements and strengthening its future commitments to create a positive impact. The report, titled 'Safe, Circular and Responsible,' features IPG's continuing focus on responsible manufacturing, environmental stewardship, and the well-being of its workforce by providing a detailed account of IPG’s sustainability efforts and opportunities for improvement. "IPG is a leading provider of packaging and protective solutions, and an invaluable partner to its customers in diverse end-markets. Sustainability is central to our strategy and is a key pillar in the design of our products, conduct of our operations, and the safety and engagement of our teammates," said Pete Durette, CEO of IPG. "While not easy, our efforts to provide increasingly sustainable products to our customers are both reducing our environmental impact and improving our social impacts, and we look forward to continuing our progress on these commitments in 2024. Our employees, suppliers and customers are vital partners in our efforts, and we thank them for their continued support and partnership."

As people across the globe become more aware of environmental issues, the desire for green products and services is growing. But with all the environmentally friendly claims made around products these days, how can consumers know which claims are accurate and which fall into the category of greenwashing? According to the Ecolabel Index, there are currently 456 ecolabels in the marketplace, each claiming some sort of sustainability-related benefit associated with a product or service. Consumers are enticed by claims that products are eco-friendly, organic, natural and green, and the number of products purporting these claims is increasing. With eco credentials proliferating and corporations looking to capitalize on sustainability, the practice of greenwashing — making exaggerated, unsubstantiated or outright false claims to convince consumers a product is environmentally friendly — is becoming more common.

The Navigator Company reaffirms its commitment to promoting efficiency in the use of resources with sustainable investments which, over the last 18 months, have totalled around 164 million euros, around 60% of the total amount allocated. The investment mainly includes projects aimed at decarbonisation, modernising equipment and improving efficiency. These include the new Recovery Boiler in Setúbal - which will reduce direct fossil carbon dioxide emissions by around 136,000 tonnes per year, equivalent to a quarter of the Group's emissions in 2022; the new Tower and Washing Presses in Aveiro; the new biomass Lime Kiln in Figueira da Foz; the conversion of the Lime Kiln in Setúbal to burn biomass; and the new Photovoltaic Plant in Figueira da Foz. In addition, the company has invested in sustainable packaging solutions. After launching a new line of packaging products at the end of 2021 under the gKraft™ brand, the company aims to develop innovative packaging solutions that replace current fossil-based plastic packaging with renewable, biodegradable, recyclable and carbon-neutral products based on endogenous raw materials from planted forests.

The report details meaningful accomplishments achieved in the past year driving continued progress towards the Company’s previously established sustainability goals and reinforces the unwavering commitment to the Company’s sustainability strategy and purposeful investments in its people, operations and product portfolio. Highlights from the report include: *Reinforcing its carbon emission reduction targets, including reducing Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions intensity by 50% by 2030 against a 2019 baseline and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and reducing Scope 3 carbon emissions by 9% by 2025 and 16% by 2030 against a 2021 baseline. *Commissioning of a 200MW solar project in South Africa, estimated to provide 40% of the Company’s total energy needs in the region and to result in an incremental 13% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions in 2024 relative to the 2019 baseline *Progressing the second largest renewable project in South Africa by entering into a long-term power purchase agreement with NOA Group for ~497GWh of renewable energy, which is expected to reduce Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by an incremental 12% globally, once fully implemented in 2027 *Reducing Scope 1 emissions and improving production efficiencies by implementing automated process controls (APCs) for chlorination to reduce coke consumption at the Company’s pigment plants.

FSC is terminating the Trademark License Agreement (TLA) of the eight certificate holders belonging to the Vinda group through a mutually agreed termination agreement. Hence, the Vinda group can no longer be associated with FSC because it was recently acquired by the Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) group. FSC disassociated from the RGE group, which includes APRIL, in August 2013. According to the mutual termination agreement: *The TLAs of all the Vinda certificate holders will be terminated effective 30 September 2024. Therefore, after the termination becomes effective, these companies can no longer produce products with FSC claims, and they cannot claim that they are FSC-certified. *The liquidation period of all FSC-labelled products produced up to and including 30 September 2024 may be sold with an FSC label until 31 December 2024. This means that Vinda can no longer sell products with FSC claims after this date. Vinda’s customers who bought products produced by Vinda as FSC-certified before the end of the liquidation period will be able to claim that they are FSC-certified without any time restrictions.

We developed this module standard to support organisations in demonstrating compliance with the European union Regulation on Deforestation Free Products (EUDR). Within the document, PEFC chain of custody certified organisations will find the steps they may follow to implement a Due Diligence System towards demonstrating EUDR compliance using the PEFC scheme. The standard applies to relevant products made with forest and materials and can be implemented on a voluntary basis, at the global level, by any organisation holding or applying for a PEFC recognised chain of custody certificate.

The ongoing war in Ukraine has contaminated certified forests with explosive objects. As a result, substantial areas have had to be excised from the scope of certification. To achieve this goal, the current Forest Stewardship Standard (FSS) for Ukraine has been updated (FSC-STD-UKR-01.1-2024) to include criteria for excising contaminated areas as well as specific, nationally adapted indicators and verifiers. Those requirements are based on the scenario presented in Clause 2.2 of the FSC Policy on the Excision of Areas from the Scope of Certification. After the initial registration of the process by the Performance and Standards Unit of FSC (PSU) in March 2023, the Standard Development Group developed an updated draft in consultation with forestry authorities, the Ministry of Defense, the State Emergency Service, and other relevant bodies. The Policy Steering Group approved the updated FSS in June 2024.

Tree planting, or reforestation, is one of the many solutions to climate change due to the ability of trees to sequester substantial amounts of carbon as they grow. Governments worldwide are backing ambitious initiatives, encouraging people to donate time and money to reforestation projects. However, many tree planting projects designed to offset carbon emissions have faced criticism for failing to create sustainable forests. Numerous reforestation efforts have ended in failure. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley found that a large-scale government-organized tree planting project in Northern California had insignificant impact on carbon sequestration or tree cover. Similarly, a study by the Nature Conservancy questioned the environmental benefits of a government-funded tree-planting program in Mexico, concluding that forest loss rates were higher in states implementing the plan than in those that did not. In the Philippines, the National Greening Program was deemed a failure by its own government, achieving only a fraction of its intended forest cover increase.

In 2023, Sappi Europe’s Kirkniemi Mill in Lohja, Finland successfully transitioned to renewable biomass energy, reducing its Scope 1 emissions, direct emissions from Sappi’s own operations, by 90%. Building on the significant investment made to Kirkniemi’s energy systems, clean electricity is now also being supplied to the mill, eliminating scope 2, indirect emissions. These efforts have led to a 55% overall reduction in the carbon footprint of Sappi’s Galerie paper range, which is estimated to reach a remarkable 70% by the end of the year. This transformation is among nearly 80 projects outlined in Sappi Europe’s decarbonisation roadmap, a blueprint that will see the company’s energy-related sustainability targets through to 2025. This also closely aligns with Sappi’s science-based targets for 2030.

FSC is pleased to announce the official publication of the new FSC Forest Stewardship Standard for Peru, which covers all categories of Management Units in natural forests and plantations, including small and low intensity managed forests, as well as Non-Timber Forest Products. This standard, effective October 15, 2024, not only focuses on productive management, but also encompasses conservation management and forest restoration. Peru, being a country rich in natural forests, has a territory where almost 60% is covered by forests (Ministry of Environment (MINAM), 2024), covering a total area of 82,543,385 hectares as of 2019. These forests include Amazonian forests (94.2%), dry forests (4.7%) and Andean forests (1.1%), with a diversity of 42 types of forests on the coast, highlands and jungle, each with its own unique richness. These ecosystems are fundamental to Peru and the world, providing invaluable benefits such as natural resources, water and food, as well as playing a crucial role in stabilizing the climate and environment. They are also the home and livelihood of indigenous communities, representing a great potential for the development of sustainable productive initiatives that generate well-being for the people who live in them.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is pleased to announce its renewed partnership with world geospatial company, Esri. This is the third year of a large-scale collaboration aimed at integrating cutting-edge technology to advance global sustainable forest management. FSC has tapped into Esri’s in-kind support to bolster efforts to build out a comprehensive map of certified forests worldwide. In addition to increasing technological access for forest managers, it has enhanced monitoring of deforestation. “If you can’t map the forest, you can’t measure or track it,” says Scot McQueen, FSC’s Senior Technology Officer, who spearheaded the FSC-Esri partnership and recruited Esri to FSC’s Technology Consortium. Building on past successes, this ongoing collaboration will support FSC’s solutions for forest managers as they prepare to comply with the European Union Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR), set to take effect later this year. EUDR mandates comprehensive reporting requirements for forest-based products entering the market from late December 2024, including the need for geospatial data, traceability, and risk assessments.

Stakeholders from around the world are invited to give feedback on the Austrian Forest Certification System. Deadline for comments is 6 September. Give your feedback. PEFC Austria revised the country’s national forest certification system to ensure its forest management standard is up-to-date and continues to meet stakeholder demands and expectations. The Austrian system was submitted to PEFC after being revised in line with PEFC requirements. The system is now undergoing the PEFC assessment process, carried out by an independent PEFC Registered Assessor. It must pass this assessment to maintain its PEFC endorsement. An important aspect of the assessment process is the public consultation. Over the sixty-day consultation, stakeholders from around the world can give their comments and provide feedback on any aspect of the system. The Registered Assessor will use the information received from this consultation in their assessment of the system.

If you have an interest in packaging policy or sustainable packaging, you have likely heard the term “EPR” or “extended producer responsibility.” But what exactly is EPR, and how will it ultimately affect the types of packaging we use? In this Deep Dive, we will explore the current EPR landscape in the U.S. and what is likely to come over the next several years. A note of caution: this article is intended as a general overview of packaging EPR with some basic advice for companies trying to navigate the new legislative landscape. It should not be taken as legal advice, and we highly recommend that companies who think they are regulated “producers” seek legal counsel to better understand their responsibilities. Introduction to EPR - Extended Producer Responsibility, or EPR, refers to a policy approach that shifts the responsibility for waste management of a given product from consumers/taxpayers and municipalities onto the producers of that product. Typically, the main goal of EPR is to minimize the environmental externalities of a product’s end of life – that is, minimize the unintended consequence of what happens to a product when we’re done with it. EPR prompts a society to start thinking on a large scale about where products end up when we’re done with them and how we can better manage them. EPR regulations are not new to the U.S. and have been around for over a decade to manage products like e-waste, mattresses, paint, tires, batteries, etc. Let’s take the example of paint. “Producers,” meaning paint manufacturers, are typically responsible for the paint up until the point where you, the consumer, purchase it. But there are some unintended consequences that come when you’re done with that paint can that likely has extra paint in it. While most paint is actually recyclable, many people throw it away or pour it down the drain, which can contaminate the environment with hazardous chemicals. Ultimately, consumers/taxpayers and the environment pay the costs to deal with this result, and paint companies don’t have an incentive to fix it.

The webinar focused on the advances we have made in aligning our sustainable forest management and chain of custody standards with EUDR requirements and looked at the vital data and integrity elements. Our PEFC experts Marta Martínez Pardo (Chain of Custody), Rob Shaw (Data and Integrity), Hubert Inhaizer (Sustainable Forest Management), and Maja Drca (EU Affairs) discussed PEFC's agile approach to aligning with EUDR guidelines by the end of the year. Marta introduced the PEFC EUDR Due Diligence System which is currently undergoing approval by the PEFC General Assembly and is expected to be finalised by late July. Rob discussed PEFC's strategy on data management. Hubert addressed the modification proposals to PEFC's Sustainable Forest Management standard, developed for harmonisation with EU frameworks like the EUDR.

A new standard for Poland updates guidance for forest management. It focuses on the protection of rare ecosystems and old-growth forests. Labour rights for forest workers will help to ensure social benefits for forest communities. Overall, the new standard seeks to keep Poland’s forests and all the resources they provide sustainable into the future. The standard becomes effective on 1 October 2024. About one third of Poland is forested, and just over 80 per cent of that is in public ownership. These forests are rich in biodiversity as well as being home to iconic species such as European bison, brown bear, lynx, and wolves. FSC certification has guided forest management in Poland for more than 25 years, but the FSC National Forest Management Standard needed to be brought up to date to reflect the FSC International Principles and Criteria.

Stakeholders from around the world are invited to give feedback on the Thai Forest Certification System. Deadline for comments is 31 August. Give your feedback. The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) revised the country’s national forest certification system to ensure its forest management standard is up-to-date and continues to meet stakeholder demands and expectations. The revised system also includes a new standard for Trees outside Forests (TOF) certification. The Thai system was submitted to PEFC after being revised in line with PEFC requirements. The system is now undergoing the PEFC assessment process, carried out by an independent PEFC Registered Assessor. It must pass this assessment to maintain its PEFC endorsement.

The FSC Regulatory Module and FSC Risk Assessment Framework comprise FSC Aligned Certification for EUDR, along with system-wide updates to operationalize these changes and align with the intention of the Policy to Address Conversion. The launch of these requirements ensures that our certification system remains robust and relevant in the evolving regulatory landscape. The Risk Assessment Framework and other system-wide changes are also applicable for Certificate Holders not affected by EUDR. This new voluntary add-on module FSC-STD-01-004 FSC Regulatory Module supports EUDR compliance by providing additional requirements for Forest Management, Chain of Custody, and Controlled Wood Certification as well as accreditation requirements. It is designed to help companies use their FSC certification to meet EUDR’s stringent requirements by taking the guesswork out of what is required on top of FSC certification. The module outlines robust due diligence systems, conducting thorough risk assessments with FSC’s Risk Assessment Framework, and maintaining transparent supply chain documentation.