Collaborative effort among suppliers leads to a reduced environmental footprint, improved sustainability and additional funding to help further the mission of WAA
SPRINGFIELD, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#PlayAPart2019–Interstate Van Lines, a leading provider of global moving, relocation and logistics services, is joining Wreaths Across America (WAA) and hundreds of other volunteers this week to honor fallen U.S. veterans by delivering Remembrance Wreaths for placement on their graves at Arlington National Cemetery and more than 2,000 participating locations across the country on Wreaths Across America Day, Saturday, December 14.
“Interstate is proud to support the mission of Wreaths Across America, which is to Remember, Honor and Teach,” says Interstate President John (J.D.) Morrissette. “This ceremonial occasion serves as a reminder of the sacrifices our fallen heroes have made in service to our nation, and we are eternally grateful to them for protecting our freedom.”
Interstate is supporting WAA with two tractor-trailers and drivers, along with 95 employee volunteers. On December 10, Interstate driver John Graham departed for Columbia Falls, Maine to pick up 4,545 wreaths destined for Arlington National Cemetery, where 50 Interstate volunteers will participate in Saturday’s wreath-laying ceremony. Earlier in the week, Interstate driver Morris Pearsall hauled 4,518 wreaths over 1,500 miles from Maine to veterans’ cemeteries in New Jersey and West Virginia.
At the conclusion of Saturday’s wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, WAA volunteers will break down, stack and load the empty boxes onto the 70-plus trucks that delivered the wreaths. Participating Honor Fleet drivers will then proceed to Interstate’s Springfield, Virginia facility, where 45 Interstate volunteers will unload the International Paper Company-provided corrugated packing materials from each truck. The boxes will be separated from the wood skids, loaded onto freight trucks provided by Cowan Systems, LLC and transported to a Gladstone, Virginia mill operated by Greif Containerboard Mills, for off-loading and recycling. Greif will then use a repulper to produce recycled linerboard from the old corrugated boxes, which can be used to make new boxes. The proceeds generated from the recycling of these boxes will be donated to WAA to fund the purchase of additional wreaths in 2020. In all, International Paper expects Interstate will transfer the equivalent of 40,000 boxes through its service center for recycling.
“At International Paper, we are committed to improving our environmental footprint and promoting the long-term sustainability of natural capital,” says Dave Kumar, national accounts sales manager, International Paper Recycling. “Prior to our collaboration with Interstate and the other closed-loop suppliers, the empty WAA boxes were being sent to a landfill after a single use, at a very high cost to WAA and the environment. By working together, we’ve managed to convert a large expense into a source of additional funding to help further the mission of WAA in an eco-friendly way.”
ABOUT INTERSTATE
The Interstate Family of Companies encompasses a worldwide group of moving & storage, relocation management, supply chain logistics and real estate solutions serving government, corporate and residential clients. The company maintains its headquarters in Springfield, Virginia, working with a global alliance of 1,500 service partners incorporating 17,500 professional associates in 112 countries across six continents. On an annual basis, it is entrusted with the care and oversight of more than $1 billion in customer-valued goods and property. Interstate holds key industry certifications, including ISO 9001:2015, the FIDI FAIMPlus designation, IOMI certification, and is an 11-time recipient of the NDTA Award for Quality Service.
To learn more about the Interstate Family of Companies, visit our website at moveinterstate.com.
ABOUT WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA
Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at more than 2,000 veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and overseas.
For more information, please visit wreathsacrossamerica.org.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL PAPER
International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a leading global producer of renewable fiber-based packaging, pulp and paper products with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, Europe, North Africa and Russia. We produce corrugated packaging products that protect and promote goods, and enable world-wide commerce; pulp for diapers, tissue and other personal hygiene products that promote health and wellness; and papers that facilitate education and communication. We are headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., employ more than 50,000 colleagues and serve more than 25,000 customers in 150 countries. Net sales for 2018 were $23 billion.
For more information about International Paper, our products and global citizenship efforts, please visit internationalpaper.com.
ABOUT GREIF
Greif, Inc. (NYSE: GEF, GEF.B) is a global leader in industrial packaging products and services and is pursuing its vision to become the world’s best performing customer service company in industrial packaging. The company produces steel, plastic and fibre drums, intermediate bulk containers, reconditioned containers, flexible products, containerboard, uncoated recycled paperboard, coated recycled paperboard, tubes and cores and a diverse mix of specialty products. The company also manufactures packaging accessories and provides filling, packaging and other services for a wide range of industries. Greif also manages timber properties in the southeastern United States. The company is strategically positioned with 290 operating locations in 43 countries to serve global as well as regional customers.
For more information about Greif, Inc., please visit greif.com.
Contacts
Duane Bailey
Interstate Moving | Relocation | Logistics
Duane.Bailey@invan.com
703.226.3220
