International Paper Co.

International Paper Co. is a U.S.-based manufacturer of fiber-based packaging, pulp, and other renewable fiber-based products. Raw pulp and paper mills use large volumes of water for pulping, cleaning, cooling, and other processes.

Most mills are located near forests, bodies of water, and local communities, making mill water-use performance dependent on the efficient management of these resources through monitoring, mill operations, wastewater treatment, and watershed conservation.

International Paper recycled billions of square meters of containerboard at its Madrid, Spain, mill. The facility primarily relies on recycled wastewater to make fiber and reduced its water-use intensity 18% from 2019 to 2024. This project exemplifies how recycling municipal water can reduce freshwater demand from industry. The company improved operational water management by tracking influent water flows in its EGENZ environmental management system.

Measuring influent water flows enabled better monthly reporting, data-quality control, and detection of unusual consumption. The company used influent data, water balances, metering, engineering reviews, and employee awareness to identify opportunities for improving water efficiency, which led to a 2.7% reduction in companywide water use from 2023 to 2024.

International Paper partnered with The Nature Conservancy and others in the Savannah River Clean Water Fund to help protect 10 miles of the Savannah River watershed and 4,472 acres of forests in South Carolina and Georgia. The forests and wetlands upstream improve water quality before it enters a key regional drinking-water source. Its Water is Wonderful program engaged young school children in ways to save water. While 89% of all water used by the company in manufacturing was returned to the environment, companywide water intensity was 4.5% above its 2019 level.