MCLEAN, Va. (News release) - The paper and paper-based packaging industry's national research and promotion program, administered by the Paper and Packaging Board (P+PB), will not continue following the results of the July continuance referendum vote.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published the results where 74% of manufacturers and importers voting, who represented 90% of the volume of paper and paper-based packaging that voted in the referendum, were not in favor of continuing the program.

For the referendum to pass, the number of voting companies and the voting tons they represent must be over 50% in favor of continuing the program. To participate in the referendum, manufacturers and importers had to manufacture/import 100,000 short tons or more in 2024.

P+PB is in the process of shutting down the program and the organization.

"While I am very disappointed by the results, I am proud of all the progress we have made as an industry speaking with one voice and the positive improvements in industry reputation and preference for its products," said Mary Anne Hansan, president of P+PB. "We are grateful to the companies and their employees who supported the program with their talent and time for more than 11 years."

Steve Henry, President of Domtar and Chairman of the P+PB Board, reflected on the power of the campaign and what P+PB achieved.

"The paper and packaging industry collaborated together to increase preference for and demand for its products through this consumer advertising campaign," Henry said. "The P+PB Board is very proud of what the organization accomplished and the powerful legacy it leaves for the future."

Campaign Highlights
P+PB was founded in 2014 after the industry came together to create a national consumer marketing program to increase demand and preference for its paper and paper-based packaging products. Since its inception, P+PB has measurably provided value and increased ROI for the industry as detailed in its recent Campaign Impact Report, including:

Increasing consumers' beliefs that paper and packaging are innovative, that the industry is trustworthy

Increasing consumer's views that paper is increasingly part of their consideration when it comes to making sustainable choices.

Returned an almost 14:1 ROI for the industry based on the 2024 Econometric Report from an independent agricultural economist at Cornell University.

The campaign had numerous successes including its first TV ad called Letters to Dad about a young boy sending paper airplanes to his father overseas, the escapades of the dynamic and animated duo of brand ambassadors Casey and Page and the wit and sass of comedian Retta telling her neighbors and grocery shoppers to be a Papertarian by choosing, using and recycling paper-based products and how it is a smart choice for the environment.

Learn more at www.howlifeunfolds.com.