International Paper Named One Of The 2019 World's Most Ethical Companies® By Ethisphere For The Thirteenth Time

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Feb. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- International Paper (NYSE: IP) a world leader in renewable fiber based packaging, pulp and paper products, has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as one of the 2019 World's Most Ethical Companies.

International Paper has been recognized for thirteen consecutive years, and is one of only two honorees in the forestry, paper and packaging industry, underscoring their commitment to leading with integrity and prioritizing ethical business practices.

In 2019, 128 honorees were recognized spanning 21 countries and 50 industries. The thirteenth class of honorees illustrate how companies continue to be the driving force for improving communities, building capable and empowered workforces, and fostering corporate cultures focused on ethics with a strong sense of purpose.

"It is an honor once again to be included on this list and to be among companies whose principles and practices uphold the highest standards of ethics and corporate social responsibility," said Sharon Ryan, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. "Our work does not stop inside International Paper, we expect our business partners to share our values and principles as described in our Supplier Code of Conduct. Throughout our global supply chains, we promote safe and healthy working conditions; high ethical standards; protection of human rights and dignity; responsible use of natural resources and compliance with all applicable laws."

"Today, employees, investors and stakeholders are putting their greatest trust in companies to take leadership on societal issues. Companies that take the long view with a purpose-based strategy are proven to not only outperform but last," said Ethisphere's Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Erblich. "I congratulate everyone at International Paper for earning this recognition."

Methodology & Scoring
The World's Most Ethical Companies assessment is based upon the Ethisphere Institute's Ethics Quotient^® (EQ) framework, which offers a quantitative way to assess a company's performance in an objective, consistent and standardized manner. The information collected provides a comprehensive sampling of definitive criteria of core competencies rather than all aspects of corporate governance, risk, sustainability, compliance and ethics.

Scores are generated in five key categories: ethics and compliance program (35 percent), culture of ethics (20 percent), corporate citizenship and responsibility (20 percent), governance (15 percent) and leadership and reputation (10 percent). All companies that participate in the assessment process receive their scores, providing them with valuable insights into how they stack up against leading organizations.

­­Honorees
The full list of the 2019 World's Most Ethical Companies can be found at https://worldsmostethicalcompanies.com/honorees.

Best practices and insights from the 2019 honorees will be released in a report and webcast in March and April of this year. Sign up to receive the report.

About International Paper
International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a leading global producer of renewable fiber-based packaging, pulp and paper products with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, Europe, North Africa, India and Russia. We produce corrugated packaging products that protect and promote goods, and enable world-wide commerce; pulp for diapers, tissue and other personal hygiene products that promote health and wellness; and papers that facilitate education and communication. We are headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., employ 53,000 colleagues and serve more than 25,000 customers in 150 countries. Net sales for 2018 were $23 billion. For more information about International Paper, our products and global citizenship efforts, please visit internationalpaper.com.

About the Ethisphere Institute
The Ethisphere® Institute is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character and measure and improve culture. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World's Most Ethical Companies recognition program and provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA). More information about Ethisphere can be found at: https://ethisphere.com.

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SOURCE International Paper