Georgia-Pacific

During this crisis our industry is giving back to help others in need. Hear their stories. Share their stories.

Georgia Strong: Georgia-Pacific and Georgia Tech team up to create over 5,000 face shields​

That’s just what Georgia-Pacific did when it partnered with Georgia Tech to develop a simple to manufacture face shield for healthcare professionals on the frontlines. Georgia Tech’s Flowers Invention Studio saw that local hospitals were having shortages on face shields and quickly recognized that this was something they could help with. They put their heads together (figurately, of course) and immediately started working on the blueprints for the design. Once the prototype was developed using their in-lab laser cutters and 3D printers, they reached out to Georgia-Pacific and other Atlanta companies for materials to manufacture the face shields.

Shawn Oakes, a research associate in charge of AR&T product development at Georgia-Pacific, jumped at the opportunity to get the lab the materials they needed.​

“These are the moments when you put things in perspective and shift your priorities,” Oakes said. “I knew we had hundreds of feet of films on hand for research and development purposes, so we didn’t hesitate to give them everything they needed from what we had on hand.”

It took less than a week to produce more than 5,000 units, which were delivered to Emory Hospital. This batch is just the beginning! Georgia-Pacific hopes to continue working with Georgia Tech to connect them with suppliers and get them the materials they need. They hope to continue ramping up manufacturing to support medical staff across Georgia, and potentially across the country. Check out our feature on Fox 5 Atlanta for the full story.

Don’t Forget to Thank Your Essential Workers!

Grocery store clerks, drive-thru cashiers, delivery drivers etc. have all given new meaning to the term, essential workers. They’ve been putting their lives on the line just to keep ours going and the truckers that partner with GP are no different. Truck drivers face challenges in normal times, but even more so in the wake of the current pandemic—​ Showers, restrooms, a good place to park and sleep for the night are hard to come by and with most restaurants shutting down, they have fewer places they can get something to eat – it’s not easy to get an 18-wheeler into a drive-thru!​ Thanks to our building products facilities that have been putting up hand-made signs to let truckers know that they are greatly appreciated during this time.

When Demand Goes Up, Our Employees Show Up

Supply and Demand 101 would tell anyone that if more people are staying home, they’re going to need more household essential items—but who knew that toilet paper would ultimately steal the show? With this recent increase in demand, GP employees have been working around the clock to find and execute solutions during this crisis. As a token of appreciation, please watch the gratitude extended to GP employees in the video below.

Sparkle® Continues to Donate School Supplies to Kids Now Learning from Home

Unfortunately, many schools across the country have closed their doors for the remainder of the school year due to COVID-19, making it difficult to access supplies that students and teachers would normally have in school. Georgia-Pacific, already a longtime partner of the Kids In Need Foundation (KINF), is delighted that the Sparkle® brand is continuing with their commitment of “Supply a Teacher”. The brand was able to send 250 supply boxes, which serves about 6,250 elementary students with essential school supplies. Sparkle® chose communities that were either economically challenged or rural areas where students don’t have as easy of access to at-home supplies. The areas near our mill sites include: ​

• Palatka, FL
• Wauna, OR
• Muskogee, OK
• Naheola, AL
• Crossett, AR

Shoutout to Sparkle® for finding innovative ways to keep their mission going!​

GP’s Talent Solutions Team Donates Paper Products

The coronavirus has affected every business that you can possibly think of, including our very own Talent Solutions Team. With the massive decrease in recruiting events, there are plenty of consumer products (paper plates, paper towels, bath tissue and napkins) going unused. Who better to have them than our medical frontline heroes and underprivileged? Our GP Talent Solutions team was able to make the following donations:​

GP and Convoy of Hope, name a better duo!

Convoy of Hope and Georgia-Pacific has a long history of collecting and distributing supplies to natural disaster victims and the COVID-19 pandemic is no different. ​

Convoy of Hope has delivered loads of bath tissue and paper towels to 77 communities in 26 states with at least 30 loads being prepared for future deliveries. We have received requests from over 400 organizations for assistance in the last 10 days and are working around the clock to help as many people as possible during this time. They are anticipating that responses will continue until this fall and possibly longer. With this kind of time frame plus dealing with those that have chosen to panic-buy and hoard paper goods, limits on what can be sent will have to start. In addition to paper goods, Convoy of Hope has been able to deliver food, cleaning supplies, beverages and hygiene items.

Convoy of Hope is a faith-based, nonprofit organization with a driving passion to feed the world through children’s feeding initiatives, community outreaches, and disaster response. Visit convoyofhope.org to donate to their response efforts.

About Georgia-Pacific
Georgia-Pacific is one of the world’s leading makers of tissue, pulp, packaging, building products and related chemicals. You may recognize our household brands, such as Brawny® paper towels, Quilted Northern® bath tissue and Dixie® cups and tableware. If you’re in the construction business, you’re probably familiar with our gypsum panels and other quality building materials. Even if you work in aerospace, mining or facilities management, Georgia-Pacific products may be part of your day.