Georgia-Pacific CEO Jim Hannan on Sustainabilty and the Difficulty of Innovation

As president and chief executive officer of the leading paper goods manufacturer, Jim Hannan works to make sure the company’s sustainability efforts address the needs of customers and shareholders in a way that considers the impact on quality of life for all people, both now and in the future.

As a company based around renewable and recyclable resources, Georgia-Pacific has sustainability at its core.

SmartBrief talked with Hannan about the challenges Georgia-Pacific faces when it comes to sustainability and how the company creates value for consumers by considering the three main areas of sustainability — social, environmental and economic.

Can you talk a little bit about your path to leadership at Georgia-Pacific?

I came to Georgia-Pacific from our parent company Koch Industries, when it acquired Georgia-Pacific in late 2005. I started with Koch in 1998 in a business development role in Koch’s mineral services unit. I then held positions of increasing responsibility in the minerals group and became president of INVISTA Intermediates, another Koch company, before joining Georgia-Pacific. I became chief executive officer and president in 2007.

Read more: SmartBlog on Food & Beverage


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