10+ Years of Delivering Results to the Industry: We’re Changing Perceptions

It’s a competitive marketplace and companies are trying to get their customer’s attention, differentiate themselves and make a sale. When thinking about the paper industry specifically, the competition—the petrochemicals industry—is booming and highly profitable, supported by multiple national marketing campaigns of their own that are gaining traction. Moreso, major brands have left the U.S. Plastics Pact and acknowledged challenges to hitting their own 2025 sustainability goals that include recycled content, virgin plastic reduction and packaging recyclability.

The paper industry is different and was sustainable before “sustainable” was a household word. To get that message understood, the paper and paper-based packaging industry created and has invested in its own campaign for more than 10 years to differentiate its products from competitors and educate consumers why it is the smart choice for the environment. 

During this time, the investment has generated measurable results: 

• Achieved an almost 14:1 ROI to funders. Every dollar invested in the P+PB campaign returned $13.96 in profit to the industry based on an independent economic evaluation demonstrating that P+PB is clearly focused on its mission and the industry is better off because of it;
• Improved consumers’ perceptions of paper innovation and environmental strengths including growing trees and the importance of recycling;
• Grown your customers’ preferences for paper-based primary and secondary packaging; and 
• Helped paper retain its value proposition despite demand disruption from digital alternatives.

In 2024, more consumers than ever understood that paper manufacturers plant far more trees than they harvest. They recognized that trends like urbanization and wildfires are the real threats to forests—not their sustainably managed, productive use. They see paper companies as part of the solution to the country’s sustainability challenges, not as part of the problem. And they prefer paper solutions over plastic ones.

This shift is the result of strategic, unified messaging at scale—led by the Paper and Packaging Board in collaboration with industry partners—ensuring that sustainability efforts and innovations remain front and center for both consumers, customers and brands. This campaign elevates paper beyond its commodity profile by reminding consumers about the benefits of paper and paper-based products, their sustainable nature and recyclability. 

Why is this important?

Consumers drive your customers' choices and behaviors. Brands listen to their consumers and make changes to maintain loyalty and keep their market growing. Without a campaign educating consumers about our industry’s positive environmental practices, the renewability of forests, product innovations and recyclability, competing industries like plastics will fill the void.

Paper and packaging companies and importers will be asked to vote on whether or not to renew this successful program from July 14-25. I urge you to take another look at P+PB’s 2024 Campaign Impact Report and the perceptual changes over ten years about our products, innovativeness and commitment to sustainable practices. If we don’t tell our story who will?