International Paper

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.

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.

1. 2025DS Smith acquisition completed

   International Paper completes its acquisition of DS Smith, strengthening its global packaging presence.

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2. 2023125th-anniversary rebrand launched

   The company introduces a new logo and visual identity built around a green monogram.

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3. 2021Sylvamo spin-off completed

   The Printing Papers business becomes the independent company Sylvamo.

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4. 2016Weyerhaeuser cellulose-fibers acquisition completed

   International Paper expands its pulp and cellulose-fibers operations.

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5. 2012Temple-Inland acquisition completed

   The approximately $4.5 billion transaction adds a major corrugated-packaging network.

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6. 2000Champion International acquired

   The transaction further increases International Paper's scale in paper and forest products.

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7. 1999Union Camp acquired

   International Paper adds Union Camp's paper, packaging, and forest-products assets.

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8. 1986Hammermill Paper acquired

   The acquisition expands International Paper's national paper-manufacturing footprint.

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9. 1898International Paper is incorporated

   Seventeen pulp and paper mills in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada combine to form International Paper.

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A global, vertically integrated provider of renewable fiber-based packaging and pulp, emphasizing scale, forest-fiber expertise, recycling, and supply-chain packaging solutions.

• Corrugated packagingPackaging

  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.

• ContainerboardPackaging materials

  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 and cellulose fibersPulp

  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.

• Printing and office paperPaper

  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.

• EnvelopesPaper products

  Paper envelopes and related converted paper products have been among the company's traditional offerings, supporting commercial communications, office use, and direct-mail applications.

• 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.

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• 2025DS Smith acquisitionM&A

  International Paper pursued greater scale and geographic reach in fiber-based packaging.

  What changed. 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)

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• 2025Cellulose-fibers business sale announcedM&A

  International Paper continued to review its portfolio after expanding its packaging operations.

  What changed. 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)

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• 2021Printing Papers spin-offStrategy

  The company continued concentrating on packaging and pulp while separating its traditional printing-paper assets.

  What changed. 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.

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• 2012Temple-Inland acquisitionM&A

  International Paper wanted to increase its scale in corrugated packaging and containerboard.

  What changed. 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)

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• 2005Portfolio restructuring and forestland divestituresStrategy

  International Paper sought to simplify its portfolio and reduce exposure to forestland, coated paper, kraft paper, wood products, beverage packaging, and related businesses.

  What changed. 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.

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• Historical asbestos-related occupational-health claimsControversy

  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.

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• Androscoggin Mill labor disputeControversy

  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.

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• 2025International Paper completes DS Smith acquisition

  International Paper completed its acquisition of British packaging company DS Smith, substantially expanding its packaging platform.

  M&A
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• 2025International Paper announces sale of global cellulose-fibers business

  The company announced an agreement to sell its global cellulose-fibers business to private-equity firm American Industrial Partners.

  M&A
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• 2023International Paper announces 125th-anniversary rebrand

  International Paper introduced a new logo and broader visual identity to coincide with its 125th anniversary.

  Campaign
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• 2021International Paper spins off Printing Papers as Sylvamo

  The company completed a spin-off of its Printing Papers business, creating the standalone company Sylvamo.

  Other
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• 2016International Paper acquires Weyerhaeuser cellulose-fiber business

  International Paper announced and subsequently completed the acquisition of Weyerhaeuser's cellulose-fiber division.

  M&A
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• 2014International Paper completes xpedx spin-off and Veritiv formation

  The company completed the separation of xpedx, which combined with Unisource to form the independent distribution company Veritiv.

  Other
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• 2012International Paper acquires Temple-Inland

  International Paper completed its acquisition of Temple-Inland, adding mills and converting facilities in corrugated packaging as well as building-products operations.

  M&A
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1. International Paper
2. International Paper official website