American Forest & Paper Association

What American Forest & Paper Association does

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) is the national trade association for U.S. pulp, paper, packaging, tissue, and wood products manufacturers, headquartered at 601 Thirteenth Street NW, Suite 1000 N, Washington, DC. Founded in 1993 and operating with a small professional staff in the 101–250 employee band, AF&PA represents an industry that employs more than 925,000 people, manufactures more than $435 billion in products annually, and contributes roughly 4.7% of total U.S. manufacturing GDP, with significant rural employer presence in 44 states. Member companies include Pratt Industries, Green Bay Packaging, Kimberly-Clark, Domtar, and International Paper, among others. AF&PA does not sell commercial products or develop proprietary technology; instead, its core output consists of policy advocacy, industry statistics, sustainability programs, and member services.

AF&PA generates revenue primarily through recurring membership dues from paper and wood products manufacturers, supplemented by program and event income (notably the Paper Meets LIVE! conference co-hosted with the National Paper Trade Association). The association's go-to-market model is relationship- and event-driven: it engages members through industry conferences, the Paper & Packaging Caucus, and grassroots campaigns such as People for Paper and Packaging, while directing advocacy toward federal and state policymakers through testimony, comment letters, and litigation. Data services (StatMill, Dynamic Fiber Flows, the annual Paper Industry Capacity and Fiber Consumption Survey) and the Better Practices, Better Planet 2030 sustainability framework anchor the association's fact-driven positioning.

The association's principal strategic priorities in recent cycles have been defending against state-level Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and packaging regulations (California SB 343, California SB 54, Oregon's Recycling Modernization Act, New York's Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act), shaping federal trade policy (Section 301 tariff investigations, EUDR advocacy in coalition with over 60 organizations and counterpart associations from Canada, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand), and managing the public narrative around paper recycling and sustainability. Heidi Brock serves as President and CEO; Lindsay Murphy is Press Secretary for media engagement.

Name

American Forest & Paper Association

Legal name

American Forest & Paper Association

Website

https://afandpa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The American Forest & Paper Association is the U.S. national trade association for pulp, paper, packaging, tissue, and wood products manufacturers, funded through member dues and focused on federal and state policy advocacy, industry statistics, and sustainability programs serving members such as International Paper, Kimberly-Clark, Domtar, and Pratt Industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (54182), Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Papers & Allied Products (2600), Wholesale-Paper & Paper Products (5110)

akta.pro primary industry

Supply Chain & Product Environmental Compliance (RoHS, WEEE, Packaging EPR, Eco-Design/Labeling Regulations) (EUAHABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Product Sustainability & LCA/EPD (Eco-design, PCF) (EUAHAJAF), Sustainable Forest Certification & Chain-of-Custody Services (FSC/PEFC/SFI) (IMAMAJAJ), Environmental Compliance & Permitting (BPAHAJAA)

Keywords

• Industry trade association
• Paper manufacturer advocacy
• Forest products policy
• Sustainability programs
• Recycling education

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: AF&PA is funded through membership dues from paper and wood products manufacturers. Member companies include producers of packaging, paper, pulp, tissue, and wood products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AF&PA is the national trade association representing U.S. pulp, paper, packaging, tissue, and wood products manufacturers. It delivers policy advocacy before federal and state regulators on issues such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), Section 301 tariffs, and packaging/recycling laws; publishes industry statistics and research; runs the Better Practices, Better Planet 2030 sustainability initiative; and supports members through statistics services (StatMill), fiber-flow modeling (Dynamic Fiber Flows), safety programs, and workforce development.

Product overview

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) is a trade association representing the U.S. paper and wood products industry. Rather than offering commercial software products, AF&PA provides advocacy services, industry statistics, sustainability initiatives, recycling education, and member resources including reports on paper industry capacity and fiber consumption, safety resources, and policy advocacy on issues such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), and international trade. The association does not offer a product portfolio in the traditional sense.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AF&PA Membership Recurring membership program for U.S. pulp, paper, packaging, tissue, and wood products manufacturers that provides federal and state policy advocacy, access to industry statistics and data services, participation in coalitions and committees, safety resources, and eligibility to engage in sustainability initiatives such as Better Practices, Better Planet 2030.
• StatMill Data Service On-request industry data service that provides members and stakeholders with proprietary paper, packaging, pulp, tissue, and wood products statistics used to support AF&PA's policy advocacy and member benchmarking.
• Dynamic Fiber Flows Model Proprietary modeling system that maps fiber supply, consumption, and capacity across the U.S. pulp, paper, packaging, and wood products value chain, supporting industry planning, sustainability reporting, and policy advocacy.
• Annual Paper Industry Capacity and Fiber Consumption Survey (66th Edition) Annual industry survey tracking U.S. paper industry capacity and fiber consumption, providing the foundational data used in AF&PA advocacy, member benchmarking, and policy submissions.
• Better Practices, Better Planet 2030 Sustainability Initiative Industry sustainability framework through which AF&PA members set, report, and advance quantifiable sustainability goals covering paper recycling, energy efficiency, water use, sustainable forestry, safety, and greenhouse gas reductions through 2030.

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% of Americans have access to community paper recycling programs
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• National Paper Trade Association (NPTA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2026NPTA and AF&PA co-host Paper Meets LIVE! 2027 conference scheduled for May 4-6, 2027 at Opal Sands Resort in Clearwater Beach, Florida. This is an ongoing strategic partnership for industry events and professional development.
• Northwest Pulp & Paper Association (NWPPA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026AF&PA and NWPPA issued a joint statement on the Longview tragedy (May 2026 mill incident at Nippon Dynawave Packaging) expressing collective industry response and shared concerns.
• Forest Product Associations (Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026AF&PA joined with forest product associations from Canada, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand in a joint statement to the European Commission calling for targeted, risk-based traceability requirements aligned with sustainable forest management. Urged proportionate requirements for low-risk countries and exemptions for forest residuals and by-products.
• Over 60 Forest Products OrganizationsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Coalition of over 60 organizations sent a letter to President Trump urging inclusion of EUDR on negotiating agenda with the European Union to address compliance and simplification problems in the regulation for U.S. forest products manufacturers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Wood Council: The trade association representing the wood products manufacturing industry. Directly comparable as a sister trade association within AF&PA's member ecosystem, advocating on building codes, standards, and forest product policy.
• Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI): A sustainability-focused non-profit supporting the forest products industry through certification, standards, and education. Comparable in mission around forest sustainability, chain-of-custody, and member-driven standard-setting.
• Forest Resources Association: A trade association serving the forest products supply chain, including timber harvesting, transport, and procurement. Comparable to AF&PA in scope and mission across the broader forest products value chain.
• Northwest Pulp & Paper Association (NWPPA): Regional trade association representing pulp and paper manufacturers in the Pacific Northwest. NWPPA is a direct peer and active partner of AF&PA, having co-issued joint statements on industry incidents like the 2026 Longview tragedy.
• American Forest Foundation: A national non-profit focused on sustainable forestry and family forest owners. Highly comparable to AF&PA as a forestry-sector advocacy and education organization, with overlapping sustainability and policy goals.
• Flexible Packaging Association: Trade association for the flexible packaging industry, which overlaps with AF&PA's packaging member segment. They have co-filed legal challenges (e.g., California SB 54), making them an active coalition peer.
• National Paper Trade Association (NPTA): The leading U.S. paper distribution trade association. NPTA is a direct co-host and strategic partner with AF&PA on the Paper Meets LIVE! annual conference, making it the most directly comparable trade association in the paper sector.

Regional players

• Canadian Forest Products Association: The national trade association for Canada's forest products industry. A direct international peer that AF&PA has partnered with in joint EU statements, with a closely aligned advocacy agenda on EUDR and sustainability.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Manufacturers (NAM): The largest U.S. manufacturing trade association representing all manufacturing sectors. AF&PA engages with NAM-style broader manufacturing coalitions on cross-cutting issues like tariffs and workforce development, making it a broad incumbent peer.
• American Chemistry Council: Major U.S. trade association for the chemical industry with a sophisticated federal advocacy, statistics, and sustainability program. A model peer for AF&PA's trade association operating model and policy capabilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/forestandpaper
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/afandpa1
• Facebookfacebook.com/505983082765040
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-forest-&-paper-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/afandpa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Forest & Paper Association