Sustainability
Making a Difference in the World
Strong global forces are driving changes in the packaging industry. More goods need to be packaged and safely shipped to meet the consumption demands of a growing middle class. Goods also need to travel further from where they are produced as more people migrate to urban centers. Packaging must adapt to meet these needs so that the entire value chain generates the lowest possible carbon emissions, minimizes waste, and consumes fewer natural resources.
At Graphic Packaging, our sustainability vision is to bring to market consumer packaging solutions that help address global needs while minimizing our impact and renewing natural resources. By building on our strong foundational values of doing business responsibly and operating with integrity, we are taking action – innovating our packaging and operations for a circular economy, reducing our climate and water impact, creating opportunities for our workforce and communities, promoting safety and wellbeing, and sustaining the world’s forests.
We package life’s everyday moments for a renewable future. And we want every one of those moments to be inherently better for people and our planet.
Better, Every Day
For Graphic Packaging, sustainability progress means delivering positive outcomes for our people, our planet, our partners, and ultimately the growth of our Company.
We are proud to support the UN Global Compact and embrace its 10 Guiding Principles as we create an inclusive and safe environment for our people. 50% of our executive team are gender and/or ethnically diverse, and our five business resource groups sponsor activities to help employees learn new perspectives, develop new ideas, and share experiences.
We work relentlessly to develop resource-efficient manufacturing processes that use natural resources responsibly. In 2022, 100% of the new wood fiber used in our mills was sourced from sustainably managed forests, and ~65% of the energy we consumed was from renewable sources. We achieved our greenhouse gas emissions and nonrenewable energy intensity goals three years early, and we are progressing our commitment to set carbon emissions reduction targets in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement and climate science.
We enable our customers — the world’s leading household brands — to shift toward using more recyclable packaging for their products. 95% of our 2022 revenues came from consumer packaging products that are designed to be recycled, and just three of our new product innovations enabled our customers to use 500+ million fewer plastic packages.
We are committed to making progress on our sustainability journey — so little by little, step by step, we can make life’s everyday moments better, every day.
2022 Sustainability Reporting
2022 ESG Report
2022 ESG Highlights
2022 ESG Data Summary
Sustainability Reporting
Vision 2025 ESG Initiatives
Our company’s Vision 2025 business strategy outlines how we make investments in our products, be better allies to our partners, supporters of our people, and stewards of our planet – all while generating profits for our stockholders. Our Sustainability goals are aligned in four strategic pillars — People, Planet, Products, and Partners — that support our business Vision 2025 and support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
United Nations Vision 2045
Vision 2045 is a series of documentaries devised by award-winning production company TBD Media Group. An inspirational project conceived to celebrate the centenary of the United Nations in 2045, it entails fifty carefully selected global businesses joining forces to leverage cutting-edge thinking and the latest technology to create world-changing outcomes. Graphic Packaging is proud to have been selected to participate in this initiative, and we are happy to share with you our holistic approach to advancing product sustainability and driving change in reducing end consumer waste while conserving resources.
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 host TICCIT (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 120,000 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 of Junior Achievement, a worldwide organization that unites schools and businesses to teach students how to succeed in our ever-evolving global economy.
