International Paper Makes Fortune's List of America's Most Admired Companies

MEMPHIS, TN—February 23, 2015—International Paper has been named by Fortune magazine once again as one of "America's Most Admired Companies." This is International Paper's 12th time in the last 13 years to make the list. Companies are scored in nine categories: ability to attract and retain talented people, quality of management, social responsibility to the community and the environment, innovativeness, quality of products or services, wise use of corporate assets, financial soundness, long-term investment value and effectiveness in doing business globally.

"This recognition is well-deserved for our 58,000 talented employees around the globe that made this possible," said Mark Sutton, chairman and CEO. "We continue to develop our employees to their full potential, while providing the highest level of customer service and innovative products. We also remain focused on delivering strong results for our shareholders. Congratulations to all of our employees for making this happen."

Out of the nine key attributes on which companies are judged, International Paper took the top spot in four of those categories within its industry. Those categories included, people management, use of corporate assets, financial soundness and global competitiveness.

Survey Methodology
The Fortune/Hay Group study compiles its data from 719 companies in 60 industries. There are 466 U.S. companies and 253 non-U.S. companies. Of the 253 non-U.S. companies, 116 are domiciled in Europe; 122 are from the Asia/Pacific region; and 15 are from the Americas (excluding the United States). The number of companies in an industry ranges from a minimum of six to a maximum of 15. The more international an industry, the more companies in the survey panel. There are several exceptions to the "15 maximum companies" rule.

For industries with many large companies worldwide, like Megabanks, for example, a representative international cross section was constructed by Fortune's senior list editor. Four factors were taken into consideration: revenue size, country, past performance and willingness to participate in the WMAC survey. In some cases, to achieve the representative cross section, as many as 17 companies are surveyed. To be eligible for the survey, a nonU.S. company must be in Fortune's Global 500 database, where companies with revenue for 2013 of approximately $10 billion are tracked. A U.S. company must be ranked in the 2014 Fortune 1,000 listing to be considered for the survey (company number 1,000 this year had revenue of $1.898 billion in 2013).

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, TN, the company employs approximately 58,000 people and is strategically located in more than 24 countries serving customers worldwide. International Paper net sales for 2014 were $24 billion.

About Fortune
Fortune is a global leader in business journalism known for its unrivaled access to industry leaders and decision makers. Founded in 1930, Fortune magazine has a worldwide circulation of more than 1 million and a readership of nearly 5 million and is the only business brand with editions in Europe and Asia, including a Chinese-language edition. Fortune is home to some of the strongest business franchises, including: Fortune 500, Best Companies, World's Most Admired Companies, Fastest Growing Companies and Most Powerful Women. The Fortune Conference Division extends the brand's mission into live settings, hosting a wide range of annual conferences for top-level executives, including the Fortune Global Forum and the Most Powerful Women Summit.

Source: International Paper.