PPC Members Bring TICCIT® to Classrooms Across North America
From Puerto Rico to Canada, PPC members helped thousands of students discover the connection between trees, recycling, and paperboard packaging.
Every spring, PPC members step out of their facilities and into classrooms to share a story that many students have never heard before: the story of how trees become cartons, and how cartons help support a more sustainable future.
Through TICCIT® (Trees Into Cartons, Cartons Into Trees), PPC’s signature sustainability education program, member companies introduce students to the renewable and recyclable nature of paperboard packaging through hands-on learning, tree planting, and conversations about environmental stewardship.
This year, PPC members brought TICCIT to schools and communities throughout the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, helping students understand the important role forests, recycling, and paper-based packaging play in a circular economy.
Teaching Sustainability Through Experience
What makes TICCIT unique is its hands-on approach.
Students don’t just learn about sustainability; they experience it.
At each event, volunteers explain how paperboard packaging is made from renewable resources, discuss the importance of responsible forestry and recycling, and help students plant their own tree saplings in biodegradable paperboard cartons to take home.
The result is a lesson that extends far beyond the classroom.
As students care for their trees, they gain a tangible connection to the concepts of sustainability, stewardship, and renewable resources.
PPC Members Making an Impact
This year’s TICCIT program showcased the incredible commitment of PPC members to their communities.
3A Press Corp.
Participating in TICCIT for the first time, 3A Press brought the program to Escuela Elemental Urbana in Lajas, Puerto Rico. Working alongside Para la Naturaleza, students planted approximately 200 saplings across school grounds, helping create shade and beautify the campus for future generations.
Accord Carton Company
At Hazelgreen Elementary School, Accord Carton introduced more than 110 students to the importance of recycling, renewable resources, and sustainable packaging. Every student planted a white pine sapling and took it home.
Case Paper Co.
Case Paper supported TICCIT outreach efforts by distributing 114 trees while helping students learn about sustainability and responsible resource management.
Colbert Packaging Corporation
Colbert Packaging hosted three TICCIT events this year and engaged employees through volunteer education programs and activities, strengthening participation across the organization.
Curtis Packaging
Curtis Packaging continued its commitment to environmental stewardship by supporting TICCIT activities and helping students better understand the relationship between forests, renewable resources, and paperboard packaging.
Diamond Packaging
Diamond Packaging once again demonstrated its longstanding commitment to sustainability through participation in TICCIT and environmental education initiatives within its community.
Joe Piper Inc.
On Earth Day, Joe Piper joined fifth-grade students at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School in Birmingham, Alabama. Students received saplings to plant at home and worked together to plant a tree on school grounds, creating a lasting reminder of the day’s lessons.
Malnove Packaging Solutions
Malnove supported TICCIT efforts through its Jacksonville and Omaha operations, helping bring sustainability education and tree-planting experiences to local students.
Manchester Industries, Inc.
Manchester Industries, a division of Clearwater Paper, hosted a TICCIT event at The Museum School of Avondale Estates near Atlanta, Georgia. Students learned about trees, recycling, and paperboard packaging before planting saplings and helping plant a tree on school property.
Metsä Board Americas Corporation
Metsä Board introduced approximately 80 students at Stephen F. Austin Elementary School to sustainable forestry, renewable paper-based packaging, and environmental stewardship.
Pak-Pro
Pak-Pro brought TICCIT to third-grade students in Toccoa, Georgia, helping young learners understand the connection between forests, recycling, and sustainable packaging.
PaperWorks
PaperWorks hosted a TICCIT event at Baden Public School in Baden, Ontario, where fifth- and sixth-grade students received approximately 70 saplings and learned about responsible forest management.
RRD Packaging Solutions
RRD hosted six TICCIT events across the country, including activities in Washington, Ohio, Iowa, and South Carolina. Through these efforts, the company distributed 468 saplings while teaching students about sustainability and renewable resources.
Southern Champion Tray
Volunteers from Southern Champion Tray spent time with local third-grade students in Tennessee and Texas, sharing lessons on recycling, responsible forestry, and sustainable packaging.
Valco Melton
Valco Melton introduced fifth-grade students at E.H. Green Elementary School to paperboard manufacturing, recycling, and sustainable forestry, and helped them plant saplings of their own.
Smurfit Westrock’s Extraordinary Reach
One of the largest TICCIT efforts of the year came from Smurfit Westrock.
Across North America, the company hosted more than 71 TICCIT events, reaching over 9,800 students in the United States and another 125 students in Canada.
Employee volunteers visited schools, including Arnold Mill Elementary School, Allen Jay Elementary School, Eastfield Elementary School, Woodland Elementary School, Red Bank Elementary School, California Elementary School, Franklin Elementary School, and many others.
Through classroom presentations, sustainability lessons, and tree-planting activities, Smurfit Westrock volunteers helped thousands of students understand the environmental benefits of renewable, paper-based packaging.
Growing More Than Trees
While every TICCIT event is unique, they all share a common purpose: helping students understand that sustainability starts with everyday choices.
Whether planting saplings in Puerto Rico, Ontario, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, or beyond, PPC members are helping build a deeper appreciation for renewable resources and environmental stewardship.
“TICCIT is one of the most meaningful ways our industry gives back,” said Emily Leonczyk, President of PPC. “Every year, our members dedicate their time and expertise to helping students understand sustainability through hands-on learning. These experiences leave a lasting impression and help connect future generations to the importance of renewable materials, responsible recycling, and environmental stewardship.”
PPC extends its sincere appreciation to all participating member companies for helping make the 2026 TICCIT program a success.
Together, our members are helping students see that sustainability isn’t just a concept; it’s something they can be part of every day.
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Help tell the story of paperboard packaging. Through TICCIT, member companies connect students with the renewable, recyclable nature of paper-based packaging while making a lasting difference in their communities. Learn how to participate at TICCIT.info.