International Paper
A global producer of fiber-based packaging, pulp, and paper products.
Last updated August 27, 2026
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Overview
International Paper is a United States-based pulp, paper, and packaging company headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. It was incorporated on January 31, 1898, through the combination of 17 pulp and paper mills in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. The new company rapidly became a major supplier of newsprint at a time when the Linotype printing process was expanding newspaper production. Its early manufacturing base was concentrated in the forested northeastern United States and Canada, with mills such as the historic Hudson River facility in Corinth, New York, playing an important role in the development of industrial papermaking. Over more than a century, International Paper expanded through acquisitions, mill construction, forest ownership, international ventures, and the development of converting operations. Important acquisitions included Hammermill Paper Company in 1986, Masonite in 1988, Zanders Feinpapiere and Aussedat Rey in 1989, Federal Paper Board in 1996, Union Camp in 1999, and Champion International in 2000. These transactions broadened the company beyond newsprint into printing papers, coated papers, packaging, forest products, and international pulp and paper operations. The company substantially reshaped its portfolio during the 2000s. In 2005 and 2006 it sold millions of acres of U.S. forestland and divested coated paper, kraft paper, wood products, beverage packaging, and other businesses. Its wood-products operations were sold to West Fraser Timber, its beverage-packaging business became Evergreen Packaging under new ownership, and several paper businesses were sold to investment-backed or specialized paper companies. International Paper also exited or separated a number of distribution and printing-paper activities, including the 2014 transaction that created Veritiv from xpedx and Unisource and the 2021 spin-off of its Printing Papers business as Sylvamo. Packaging became increasingly central to the company. International Paper acquired Temple-Inland in 2012 for approximately $4.5 billion, adding a substantial corrugated-packaging network consisting of containerboard mills and converting facilities. It also announced the acquisition of Weyerhaeuser's containerboard business in 2008 and acquired Weyerhaeuser's cellulose-fibers division in 2016. The company's principal activities have consequently centered on corrugated packaging, containerboard, absorbent and specialty pulp, and selected paper products rather than the broad forest-products portfolio it once maintained. International Paper marked its 125th anniversary in 2023 with a corporate rebrand and a new green monogram logo. In January 2025 it completed the acquisition of DS Smith, a major British packaging company, in a transaction reported at approximately $7.2 billion. During 2025 it also announced the sale of its global cellulose-fibers business to American Industrial Partners for approximately $1.5 billion, indicating continued portfolio concentration around packaging. The company remains a major international producer of renewable, fiber-based materials and packaging, with manufacturing and commercial activities serving industrial, consumer, food, beverage, retail, and other supply chains.
History
International Paper was incorporated in January 1898 through the merger of 17 pulp and paper mills located in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. William Augustus Russell and Hugh J. Chisholm were associated with the company's formation and early leadership, while Philip Tell Dodge served as chairman for 11 years. The company benefited from the growth of mass-circulation newspapers and the adoption of Linotype technology, becoming a major supplier of newsprint in the United States. The company's early operations included the Hudson River Mill at Corinth, New York. Originally established in the nineteenth century as one of New York's first wood-based newsprint mills, the facility became an important International Paper site and later contributed to the development of coated paper. It closed in 2002 after changing market conditions. Like other historic paper mills, it also became associated with labor, environmental, and occupational-health issues. Historical accounts concerning International Paper facilities have described the use of asbestos insulation and subsequent illness claims by former workers, including mesothelioma cases. International Paper grew through a long series of acquisitions. Hammermill Paper Company was acquired in 1986, followed by Masonite in 1988, Zanders Feinpapiere and Aussedat Rey in 1989, Federal Paper Board in 1996, Union Camp in 1999, and Champion International in 2000. These transactions created a diversified enterprise spanning newsprint, coated and uncoated papers, packaging, pulp, forestland, wood products, and international operations. The company also formed a joint venture with Ilim Holding in 2007 and participated in major containerboard and pulp transactions during the following decade. Beginning in the mid-2000s, International Paper pursued a major restructuring. It sold more than six million acres of U.S. forestland and divested coated paper, kraft paper, wood products, beverage packaging, and chemical operations. West Fraser Timber acquired the wood-products division, while other businesses moved to new owners or operated under new names. The consumer-packaging division, which had supplied cups and lids to major fast-food chains, was later sold to Graphic Packaging in 2018. International Paper also separated distribution operations through the xpedx transaction that helped create Veritiv in 2014. Packaging and pulp became the strategic core. The 2012 Temple-Inland acquisition strengthened corrugated packaging through the addition of seven mills and 59 converting facilities. International Paper subsequently acquired Weyerhaeuser's cellulose-fibers division in 2016. In 2021 it spun off its Printing Papers business into Sylvamo, further narrowing its direct portfolio. The 2023 rebrand presented the company as a modern fiber-based packaging and pulp enterprise while retaining its long association with forest products. The company expanded its packaging scale again by completing the acquisition of DS Smith in January 2025. It also announced the sale of its global cellulose-fibers business to American Industrial Partners, continuing a pattern of concentrating capital and management attention on packaging. International Paper's current identity is therefore rooted less in a broad collection of paper and timber assets than in corrugated packaging, containerboard, pulp, recycling, and related fiber-based solutions.
- 2025
DS Smith acquisition completed
[1]International Paper completes its acquisition of DS Smith, strengthening its global packaging presence.
- 2023
125th-anniversary rebrand launched
[1]The company introduces a new logo and visual identity built around a green monogram.
- 2021
Sylvamo spin-off completed
[1]The Printing Papers business becomes the independent company Sylvamo.
- 2016
Weyerhaeuser cellulose-fibers acquisition completed
[1]International Paper expands its pulp and cellulose-fibers operations.
- 2012
Temple-Inland acquisition completed
[1]The approximately $4.5 billion transaction adds a major corrugated-packaging network.
- 2000
Champion International acquired
[1]The transaction further increases International Paper's scale in paper and forest products.
- 1999
Union Camp acquired
[1]International Paper adds Union Camp's paper, packaging, and forest-products assets.
- 1986
Hammermill Paper acquired
[1]The acquisition expands International Paper's national paper-manufacturing footprint.
- 1898
International Paper is incorporated
[1]Seventeen pulp and paper mills in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada combine to form International Paper.
Products and positioning
A global, vertically integrated provider of renewable fiber-based packaging and pulp, emphasizing scale, forest-fiber expertise, recycling, and supply-chain packaging solutions.
Packaging
Corrugated packaging
International Paper's corrugated-packaging activities include boxes, cases, displays, and engineered packaging made from containerboard. These products serve manufacturers, retailers, food and beverage companies, agricultural businesses, and e-commerce supply chains. The Temple-Inland acquisition was particularly important in building the company's network of mills and converting facilities.
Packaging materials
Containerboard
Containerboard is the paperboard used to manufacture corrugated boxes and related transport packaging. International Paper produces containerboard through an integrated system linking recovered fiber, virgin wood fiber, pulp, paper mills, and converting operations.
Pulp
Pulp and cellulose fibers
The company has produced market pulp and cellulose fibers for applications including tissue, absorbent products, specialty papers, and other consumer and industrial materials. International Paper announced a planned sale of its global cellulose-fibers business in 2025.
Paper
Printing and office paper
International Paper historically produced printing, copying, writing, and related uncoated papers. Much of this business was separated in the 2021 Sylvamo spin-off, so it is no longer the defining part of the International Paper portfolio.
Paper products
Envelopes
Paper envelopes and related converted paper products have been among the company's traditional offerings, supporting commercial communications, office use, and direct-mail applications.
Controversies
Historical asbestos-related occupational-health claims
Historical accounts of International Paper facilities describe extensive asbestos insulation in mills, walls, roofs, pipes, and boilers. Former workers have brought or been associated with illness claims, including mesothelioma allegations. The available reference material does not establish a single settlement, judgment, or definitive company-wide finding, so the matter is recorded as a historical occupational-health controversy rather than assigned a specific financial outcome.
Androscoggin Mill labor dispute
A strike at International Paper's Androscoggin Mill has been discussed in labor-history literature, including a book focused on the paperworkers' union local, politics, and the use of permanent replacements.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023125th-anniversary brand rebrand
Global
International Paper introduced a new corporate identity for its 125th anniversary. The design replaced the earlier circular tree-and-arrow symbol with a green monogram and updated wordmark intended to express a more contemporary fiber-based materials company.
Outcome. New corporate logo and visual identity adopted.
Brand decisions
2025
DS Smith acquisitionM&ABackground
International Paper pursued greater scale and geographic reach in fiber-based packaging.
Action taken
The company completed its acquisition of DS Smith in January 2025.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded International Paper's international packaging platform.
Reported transaction value. Approximately $7.2 billion (January 2025)
2025
Cellulose-fibers business sale announcedM&ABackground
International Paper continued to review its portfolio after expanding its packaging operations.
Action taken
The company announced the sale of its global cellulose-fibers business to American Industrial Partners.
Aftermath
The planned divestiture would further emphasize packaging as the company's principal strategic business.
Reported sale value. Approximately $1.5 billion (2025)
2021
Printing Papers spin-offStrategyBackground
The company continued concentrating on packaging and pulp while separating its traditional printing-paper assets.
Action taken
International Paper spun off its Printing Papers operations as Sylvamo.
Aftermath
Sylvamo became an independent paper company, leaving International Paper with a more focused packaging and pulp profile.
2012
Temple-Inland acquisitionM&ABackground
International Paper wanted to increase its scale in corrugated packaging and containerboard.
Action taken
It acquired Temple-Inland in a transaction valued at approximately $4.5 billion.
Aftermath
Temple-Inland became a wholly owned subsidiary and added seven mills and 59 converting facilities to the corrugated-packaging platform.
Transaction value. Approximately $4.5 billion (2012)
2005
Portfolio restructuring and forestland divestituresStrategyBackground
International Paper sought to simplify its portfolio and reduce exposure to forestland, coated paper, kraft paper, wood products, beverage packaging, and related businesses.
Action taken
The company sold more than six million acres of U.S. forestland and divested multiple operating divisions and subsidiaries.
Aftermath
The restructuring shifted the company toward paper, packaging, and pulp while transferring several businesses to specialized owners.
Recent events
Mayr-Melnhof completes acquisition of Kwidzyn mill[3]
Mayr-Melnhof Group completed its acquisition of the Kwidzyn mill in Poland from International Paper after receiving approval from the relevant competition authorities.
WWF launches Forests Forward platform[4]
WWF launched Forests Forward, a multi-stakeholder platform for businesses and investors focused on forest landscapes. WWF said the platform aims to improve the management of 150 million hectares of forest by 2030; 19 companies and investors were its first participants.
International Paper acquires two corrugated packaging plants in Spain[5]
Reported:
International Paper purchased two corrugated box plants in Spain. The terms were not disclosed, and the businesses were to become part of International Paper effective April 1, 2021.
Mondi announces planned acquisition of Olmuksan[6]
Reported:
Mondi said it would acquire 90.38% of Olmuksan’s outstanding shares from International Paper for €66 million. The transaction was expected to complete in the first half of 2021; completion had not yet occurred in the report.
Graphic Packaging announces purchase of additional partnership interest[7]
Reported:
Graphic Packaging announced that Graphic Packaging International Partners would purchase approximately 17.4 million partnership units from International Paper for $250 million, increasing Graphic Packaging's ownership interest from approximately 81.1% to 85.5%.
- Unconfirmed
Paper producers announce price increases[8]
APP, International Paper, Shandong Bohui/Jiangsu Bohui Paper, and Shanghai Chenming Pulp & Paper issued price increase notices, raising prices for products including coated paperboard and white paperboard by RMB 200 per ton, with effective dates ranging from December 25, 2019, to January 1, 2020.
Sources8 sources
- 1International Paperen.wikipedia.org
- 2International Paper official websiteinternationalpaper.com
- 3Mayr-Melnhof完成对Kwidzyn纸厂的收购paperage.com
- 4WWF推出Forests Forward平台wwf.panda.org
- 5国际纸业收购西班牙两家瓦楞包装工厂prnewswire.com
- 6Mondi宣布计划收购Olmuksaniol.co.za
- 7Graphic Packaging宣布购买额外合伙权益prnewswire.com
- 8文化纸企业发布涨价函sc.stock.cnfol.com
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