Using less Fuel
We decreased our use of solid fossil fuels for energy by 79% since 2013.
Environmental Stewardship
Progress with purpose
We strive to be a preferred partner and drive continuous improvement to create sustainable outcomes that benefit society. Our focus is to make progress daily, improving performance by living a principle of stewardship, embracing creative destruction, improving efficiencies, eliminating waste, finding new ways of meeting needs and driving conservation activities that leave more resources available to satisfy other needs in society.
Reusing resources
We utilize more than 2.5 million tons of recovered paper annually to manufacture products with recycled content.
Bird’s-eye view
We review monthly satellite images of endangered forests and make the latest maps available to suppliers. Georgia-Pacific’s Sustainable Forestry Initiative® certification in the U.S. ensures our fiber sourcing is conducted responsibly.
Decreasing Emissions
Our mills reduced sulfur dioxide emissions by over 75% reduction since 2010.
Applying The Five C's
Conserve Natural Resources
As a forest products company, we rely on healthy and abundant forests, and clean and plentiful water. It’s crucial we work with suppliers and non-governmental organizations to conserve and protect water, restore vulnerable wildlife habitats and ensure there are flourishing forests for the future.
Challenge Efficient Resource Use
Although our primary raw material, wood, is renewable, we also work with some non-renewable resources, such as fossil fuels, chemicals, plastics and gypsum rock. Through transformative action, we challenge our use of these resources and innovate to seek viable alternatives.
Control Emissions
Manufacturing our products is resource intensive, requiring significant fiber, water, energy, chemicals and labor. We constantly transform to reduce waste, control emissions and help drive greater efficiency in the all the communities where we operate.
Contribute Sustainable Products
We create highly valued products while minimizing our impact on the environment. That includes choosing the right materials, optimizing responsible product use and enabling recycling and composting.
Connect Breaking Down Barriers
We partner with numerous organizations and communities to remove barriers that hold people back from achieving their potential. By celebrating the uniqueness of each individual, our diversity helps us work together to identify opportunities, solve problems and create greater value for others.
Sustainability Resources
Did you know?
U.S. forest growth has exceeded harvest since the 1950s.
* The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program of the U.S. Forest Service
Recent Awards by Year
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Fibre Box Association Safety Achievement Award
Georgia-Pacific’s corrugated facilities in Martinsville, Virginia, and Augusta, Georgia, were recognized for transforming safety through developing innovations that improved operations and efficiency.
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EPA ENERGY STAR
Georgia-Pacific’s Big Island paper mill earned status as an ENERGY STAR certified plant. The company’s paper mill in Crossett, Arkansas, also earned recognition from the EPA for reducing its energy intensity, exceeding the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry goal within just three years instead of five.
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American Forest & Paper Association Recognition for Safety
Georgia-Pacific was recognized for its The Save My Life Digital Work Process which transforms the traditional permit-to-work model to ensure both prevention and recovery controls are in place before front-line employees begin high-risk work.
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EPA ENERGY STAR
The company earned certifications for its Leaf River cellulose mill in New, Augusta, Mississippi, and its containerboard mill in Brewton, Alabama. Georgia-Pacific also received a Top Project for efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce corrosion in manufacturing assets at its Naheola paper mill in Pennington, Alabama.
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EPA SmartWay
Georgia-Pacific was named a 2023 SmartWay High Performer, a recognition the company has earned five times.
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EPA SmartWay
Georgia-Pacific earned the SmartWay High Performer recognition by the EPA for improving the efficiency of their transportation and logistics operations.
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EPA ENERGY STAR
The Port Hudson paper mill in Zachary, Louisiana, and the paper mill in Camas, Washington, earned the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Challenge Achiever for Industry for reducing its energy intensity.
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FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL LEADERSHIP AWARD
Georgia-Pacific received the 2020 FSC Leadership Award, which recognizes uncommon excellence that advances responsible forest management and forest conservation.
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LRC Energy Star
The Leaf River cellulose mill in New Augusta, Mississippi, became the first U.S. pulp mill to earn the EPA’s ENERGY STAR® certification, signifying the manufacturing facility performed in the top 25% of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency this year.
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EPA SmartWay
For the third year in a row, Georgia-Pacific and KBX Logistics were awarded the EPA SmartWay Excellence Award for their innovations in streamlined shipping efficiency.
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American Forest & Paper Association Recognition for Energy Efficiency
Quilted Northern Ultra Soft & Strong® was recognized for saving 30% more water and uses 30% less energy by using efficient manufacturing technology to squeeze more water from tissue paper before drying.
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AMERICAN FOREST & PAPER ASSOCIATION RECOGNITION FOR INNOVATION
Partnering with a major online retailer, Georgia-Pacific developed a paper-padded mailer that is 100% curbside recyclable. The company also introduced Dixie® EcoSmart® 100% Recycled Fiber Hot Cups – America’s first hot cup made from 100% post-consumer recycled fiber.
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FSC 2020 LEADERSHIP AWARD
From FSC certification of our Quilted Northern Ultra Soft & Strong® bath tissue to the management of 75,000 acres of certified forestland and our cutting-edge forest mapping, we are excited to be recognized by both SCS Global Services and FSC-US this year for our long-term efforts to manage natural resources.
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SMARTWAY® EXCELLENCE AWARD
For a second year in a row, Georgia-Pacific and KBX Logistics were awarded the EPA SmartWay Excellence Award for their innovations in streamlined shipping efficiency.
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EPA ENERGY STAR
The Leaf River cellulose mill in New Augusta, Mississippi, became the first U.S. pulp mill to earn the EPA’s ENERGY STAR® certification, signifying that the manufacturing facility performed in the top 25% of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency this year. Georgia-Pacific’s Palatka, Florida, consumer products mill and the kraft papermaking department team was awarded the EPA’s ENERGY STAR® Top Project for 2020 for achieving a 40% water reduction in a 10-week period through investments in improved equipment and monitoring.
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EPA ENERGY STAR® PROJECT OF THE YEAR
With the installation of the new biomass-fired boiler, our Naheola mill in Pennington, Alabama, significantly reduced its environmental emissions.
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SMARTWAY® EXCELLENCE AWARD
Georgia-Pacific and KBX Logistics LLC - also a Koch company - were awarded the 2019 SmartWay® Excellence Award from the EPA, based on our successes in energy efficiency and supply chain environmental performance.
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EPA ENERGY STAR® CHALLENGE FOR INDUSTRY
Three Georgia-Pacific mills have achieved the EPA Energy Star® Challenge for Industry by reducing energy intensity by at least 10%.
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EPA ENERGY STAR® INDUSTRIAL PARTNER TOP PROJECT AWARD
Green Bay (Broadway), Wisconsin, consumer products facility
The mill was recognized for an internal metering and billing project that helped reduce the operation’s energy intensity.
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ALABAMA WILDLIFE FEDERATION GOVERNOR'S CONSERVATION ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Naheola, Alabama, consumer products facility
The Naheola mill was recognized with the Air Conservationist of the Year Award for a lighting improvement program that reduced the mill's annual energy consumption and associated air emissions.
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AMERICAN FOREST & PAPER ASSOCIATION "INNOVATION IN SUSTAINABILITY" AWARD
Georgia-Pacific Wood and Fiber Sourcing
Georgia-Pacific was recognized for its project to protect endangered forests and special areas. Using scientific methodology, the company identified 4.5 million acres in more than a dozen Southern states that met the criteria as endangered forests and special areas. The company will only buy fiber from these areas in unique situations where active forest management is needed to improve habitat for endangered, rare and/or vulnerable species. The award is one of the association's Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 Sustainability Awards, which recognize exemplary sustainability programs and initiatives.
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EPA ENERGY STAR® INDUSTRIAL PARTNER TOP PROJECT AWARD
Green Bay (Broadway), Wisconsin, consumer products facility
The Green Bay mill was recognized as the Energy Star® Industrial Partner Top Project for the significant energy intensity reduction achieved through the mill's new natural gas boiler and associated electrical upgrades.
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HAVI SUSTAINABILITY AWARD
GP PRO
The award recognizes suppliers that have an integrated approach to incorporating ethics, environment and economics into their business and supply chain. The GP PRO business was recognized for increasing the amount of recycled content in the napkins and bags it supplies to McDonald's U.S. restaurants.
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KEEP GEORGIA BEAUTIFUL CORPORATE PARTNER AWARD
Georgia-Pacific was recognized for supporting Keep Georgia Beautiful programs that help make Georgia communities more sustainable as well as for its sustainable forestry practices.
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ONTEX "EXCELLENCE IN SUSTAINABILITY" AWARD
GP Cellulose
Georgia-Pacific Cellulose was recognized by its customer Ontex, which makes hygienic disposable baby care, feminine care and adult care products, for its work in obtaining certified fiber that enabled Ontex to grow its business.
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SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING AWARD
GP PRO
GP PRO, along with the Atlanta Airlines Terminal Corporation, received this award from the City of Atlanta's Department of Aviation in recognition of the impact of GP PRO's Compact® Coreless High Capacity Bathroom Tissue had in reducing waste at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and promoting sustainable business practices.
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COMMUNITY SPIRIT AWARD
Albany, Oregon, chemical facility
The Albany plant was recognized by the United Way of Linn County for its overall participation in the United Way campaign through a local campaign and community activities.
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'FUTUREMAKERS PARTNER' AWARD
Green Bay, Wisconsin, consumer products operations
The Wisconsin Technical College System recognized the Green Bay operations for its longstanding collaboration with Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, which has included program development, employee training, student support and monetary gifts.
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RECOGNITION OF EXCELLENCE AWARD
Modesto, California, corrugated packaging facility
The City of Modesto Industrial Pretreatment Program recognized Georgia-Pacific's Modesto plant for having no environmental violations during the year and maintaining its preparedness. This is the fifth year in a row that the facility has received this recognition.