Celebrate National Forest Products Week

Submitted: The Two Sides Team October 15, 2016

CHICAGO, October 15, 2016 – To mark the 56th anniversary of National Forest Products Week, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation praising paper and wood-based products for the value they lend in everyday life. Forest products manufacturers and organizations through the value chain are joining to Celebrate Forest Products (#CelebrateFP).

The full proclamation is available here.

"At Two Sides our mission is to remind people that paper is a valuable product with a great environmental story to tell. It has unique sustainable features such as renewability and high recyclability, and plays a critical role in learning, literacy and education. We are proud to join in recognizing the value of our products and our industry during National Forest Products Week," says Phil Riebel, President of Two Sides North America.

“At home, school, the workplace and all points in between, pulp, paper, packaging, tissue and wood products provide undeniable value to society and economies across the country. National Forest Products Week offers a welcome opportunity to underscore the value of these products to the nation’s economy and our everyday life,” said AF&PA President and CEO Donna Harman. “Paper and wood product manufacturers contribute to the economic backbone of communities across the country. Our companies utilize renewable, recyclable materials in innovative and highly-efficient processes to make products Americans rely on today and will need tomorrow.”

In addition to making the paper and wood products that millions of Americans rely on each day, the U.S. forest products industry accounts for approximately 4 percent of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP, employing over 900,000 men and women at a payroll of approximately $50 billion per year.

On Sept. 13, 1960, Congress designated the third week in October as National Forest Products Week, requesting the president issue a proclamation each year calling on Americans to observe the value of forest products. Today, industry employees in Washington, D.C. and around the country celebrate the week with events and advocacy campaigns to mark the occasion.

For more information about the industry, its products and National Forest Products Week events, visit afandpa.org/our-products and follow the discussion on Twitter with #CelebrateFP.

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About Two Sides North America

Two Sides is an independent, nonprofit organization created to promote the responsible production, use and sustainability of print and paper. Two Sides is active globally in North America, Europe, Australia, South Africa, Brazil and Colombia. Our members span the entire print and paper value chain, including forestry, pulp, paper, inks and chemicals, pre-press, press, finishing, publishing, printing, envelopes and postal operators. For more information about Two Sides North America, please contact us at 1-855-896-7433 or info@twosidesna.org. Visit the Two Sides website at www.twosidesna.org and follow Two Sides on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

About the American Forest & Paper Association

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) serves to advance a sustainable U.S. pulp, paper, packaging, and wood products manufacturing industry through fact-based public policy and marketplace advocacy. AF&PA member companies make products essential for everyday life from renewable and recyclable resources and are committed to continuous improvement through the industry’s sustainability initiative – Better Practices, Better Planet 2020. The forest products industry accounts for approximately 4 percent of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP, manufactures about $210 billion in products annually, and employs nearly 900,000 men and women. The industry meets a payroll of approximately $50 billion annually and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 45 states. Visit AF&PA online at www.afandpa.org or follow us on Twitter @ForestandPaper.