International Paper Named As A 2016 World's Most Ethical Company By The Ethisphere Institute For The Tenth Year

MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- For the tenth straight year, International Paper (NYSE: IP) was named as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by The Ethisphere Institute. Despite a large number of global nominees, International Paper secured a spot on the list by maintaining its focus on the ethical business practices and standards that have defined the company since its inception more than 118 years ago.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of Ethisphere and the World's Most Ethical Companies designation, which recognizes companies who align principle with action, work tirelessly to make trust part of their corporate DNA, and in doing so, shape future industry standards by introducing tomorrow's best practices today.

International Paper has been recognized ten consecutive years and is one of only two companies in the Forestry, Paper & Packaging category in 2016 underscoring their commitment to leading ethical business standards and practices in the industry.

"At International Paper, ethics and personal integrity are essential to how we make products and how we operate as a company," said Mark Sutton, chairman and chief executive officer. "Our 55,000 employees around the world are committed to doing the right things in the right ways, for the right reasons. We call this The IP Way.  Congratulations to our global team for achieving this well-earned recognition."

"Companies rely on Ethisphere to continually raise and measure the standards of corporate behavior. Those that demonstrate leadership in areas like citizenship, integrity and transparency create more value for their investors, communities, customers and employees, thus solidifying a sustainable business advantage," explained Ethisphere's Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Erblich. "Congratulations to everyone at International Paper for being recognized as a World's Most Ethical Company."

Methodology & Scoring
The World's Most Ethical Company assessment is based upon the Ethisphere Institute's Ethics Quotient™ (EQ) framework developed over years of research and vetted and refined by the expert advice from Ethisphere's World's Most Ethical Company Methodology Advisory Panel. The EQ offers a quantitative way to assess a company's performance in an objective, consistent and standardized way. 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%), corporate citizenship and responsibility (20%), culture of ethics (20%), governance (15%) and leadership, innovation and reputation (10%) and provided to all companies who participate in the process.

Honorees
The full list of the 2016 World's Most Ethical Companies can be found at http://worldsmostethicalcompanies.ethisphere.com/honorees/.

Best practices and insights from the 2016 honorees will be released in the form of a whitepaper and infographics over the next few months (download the 2015 insights). Organizations interested in how they compare to the World's Most Ethical Companies are invited to participate in the Ethics Quotient.

About International Paper
International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a global leader in packaging and paper with manufacturing operations in North America, Europe, Latin America, Russia, Asia and North Africa. Its businesses include industrial and consumer packaging along with uncoated papers and pulp. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., the Company employs approximately 55,000 people and is strategically located in more than 24 countries serving customers worldwide. International Paper net sales for 2015 were $22 billion. For more information about International Paper, its products and global citizenship efforts, 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. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World's Most Ethical Companies^® recognition program, provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) and showcases trends and best practices in ethics with the publication of Ethisphere magazine. More information about Ethisphere can be found at: http://ethisphere.com.

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SOURCE International Paper