Sustainability
Making a Difference in the World
Since establishing a formal sustainability program in 2008, Graphic Packaging has made significant progress. Our product portfolio emphasizes renewable and recycled materials. We utilize essentially all the wood that comes into our virgin paperboard mills, either to manufacture paperboard or to produce power through biomass. At our coated unbleached kraft (CUK) and solid bleached sulfate (SBS) mills, we generate most of our electricity from renewable energy sources and send excess energy (where available) back to the local power grid. Virtually all our paperboard products are recyclable, and for those that aren’t widely accepted, we make great efforts to collaborate with external stakeholders — including our customers and suppliers — to find innovative solutions to recapture the valuable fiber to make new products.
We are witnessing unparalleled changes in our industry and on our planet. We understand that consumers are more frequently insisting that products — and the packaging that protects them — come from a company they trust and reflects their values.
Graphic Packaging has taken bold actions to advance our sustainability and social responsibility initiatives, including meeting ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decrease our dependence on fossil fuel-based energy and responsibly utilize water. While we are proud of our progress, we continue to strive toward more ambitious goals as outlined in our Sustainability Vision 2025.
2020 Environmental, Social and Governance Report
ESG principles are integral to our Vision 2025 goals. They guide how Graphic Packaging innovates for a healthier planet, supports and develops employees, champions with our partners, engages with our communities and operates responsibly. We have taken bold actions to further our sustainability initiatives, including taking steps to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decrease our dependence on fossil fuel-based energy and responsibly use water. Click below to read our full 2020 ESG report and experience our new, interactive ESG website.
Sustainability Initiatives
Social Responsibility
Our success is not possible without the vitality of the local communities where we operate. Making a difference for our customers, our consumers and our community is the root of our social responsibility commitment. We focus on three Community Pillars which guide our sustainable business practices, our community service activities and our philanthropic commitments. Graphic Packaging employees all over the world dedicate thousands of hours of their time to improve their communities in which we live and work.
Putting Food on the Table
Providing packaging solutions for food and beverage companies is core to our business. Our commitment to fighting hunger is reflected in the community organizations we support and the agencies with whom we partner. Around the world, our teams contribute to local food banks and groups that provide meals to those in need. We regularly conduct food drives and provide meals for low-income or special needs families.
Preserving the Environment
We participate in river cleanups and engage with schools across the globe to introduce the science behind recycling paper to create new packaging. Each year, we hostTICCIT(pronounced “ticket”), which stands for Trees Into Cartons, Cartons Into Trees, a community outreach and educational program founded by the Paperboard Packaging Council. By partnering with local schools, our employee volunteers teach children the importance of renewable, sustainable resources in the paper and paperboard packaging industry. Since we joined the program in 2008, we have planted trees with nearly 100,000 students in North and South America and Europe.
Investing in Education
By educating tomorrow’s leaders, we build a pipeline of talent to shape our future workforce. Our Graphic Packaging Scholarship is offered to college-aged students of our employees who are pursuing programs in paper sciences, engineering, supply chain, and other curricula that support careers in our industry. We also participate in Manufacturing Day each year, exposing high school students to the challenging and rewarding potential of a manufacturing career in their community. We organize school supply drives, helping children in need get the best start possible for each new school year. We mentor youth through organizations such as Boy Scouts of America, and we are a proud supporter ofJunior Achievement, a worldwide organization that unites schools and businesses to teach students how to succeed in our ever-evolving global economy.
