PPC members across the country made a difference this past spring by participating in TICCIT! Short for “Trees Into Cartons, Cartons, Into Trees,” TICCIT helps converters get into their communities and teach children about trees and paper. Not only do students learn in the classroom, they get their hands dirty by planting saplings in cartons to take home.
This year through TICCIT, we donated more than 17,000 saplings that families can now see taking root!
Members who participated include: Accord Carton Company, American Carton Company, Clearwater Paper, Colbert Packaging, Diamond Packaging, Graphic Packaging, Indiana Carton Company, Inc., Matik, Inc., Metsä Board, Southern Champion Tray, The Standard Group, WestRock, W.H. Leary Co., Wikoff Color Corporation, and Zumbiel Packaging.
A great part about TICCIT is that it’s highly customizable. Every year, many innovative members truly make the program their own. Here are five unique takes on TICCIT 2019!
TICCIT at the Zoo
Diamond Packaging celebrated TICCIT and Earth Day by partnering with the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, NY to help kids plant trees and butterfly garden seeds. This is the fifth year Diamond partnered with the zoo. Diamond employees helped more than 250 plant Colorado blue spruce saplings to take home in a special carton supplied by Diamond.
A Pledge to Mother Nature
Indiana Carton, who has hosted TICCIT in their local community for the past five years, made their program extra special this year. Prior to going outside to plant a young tree, the children were invited to make a “wish” or “pledge” to mother nature on a piece of recycled and biodegradable paper. The students placed their messages in the hole before it was filled with dirt. The students were then invited to form a circle around the tree and sing a song to celebrate their pledge becoming part of the growing tree. Check it out!
Fun Pulp-Making
Graphic Packaging International has thoroughly inspired us this year. In hosting multiple TICCIT events across the U.S. (and even Mexico), they helped plant more than 14,000 saplings! In one particularly inventive program, they made giant paper mache logs for the students to “chop down,” strip the bark, and convert into pulp. The group completed the project by turning the pulp into a finished paper board product.
Going Big
WestRock took on a big task with TICCIT this year—teaching more than 250 children at the same time during a program in Atlanta, GA. PPC Chair and WestRock’s Executive Vice President, John O’Neal, led this big session.
Serious Learning 
The Standard Group helped plant more than 250 saplings as part of the TICCIT program in three locations across Louisville, KY and Woodmere, NY.
In addition to planting trees into milk cartons, the Louisville team came up with a great idea to teach the kids a bit more about our industry: the students drew Earth Day posters on SBS, SUS, and CRB sheets so they could learn about the different types of paperboard used in carton making.
We are so inspired by all of our members who participated in TICCIT this year! To see more of their stories, visit PPC’s member spotlight gallery.