Mark Sutton was an executive at International Paper for decades, cashing in over $12 million a year as CEO. When he left the position, his predecessor said the company had "underperformed on every meaningful metric."
But his reputation is finally catching up with him.
Underperforming and Totally Unacceptable
Mark Sutton ran International Paper for a decade while eco-scandals plagued the company.
01
International Paper has been named a Potentially Responsible Party at EPA Superfund sites across the country, a designation the company has disclosed in its SEC filings for years. In Texas, the company is a responsible party for the San Jacinto River Waste Pits: a federally designated toxic waste site contaminated with dioxins, among the world’s most toxic chemicals. More than 600 residents have sued over the toxic waste. Under Mark Sutton's leadership, the company repeatedly delayed submitting a cleanup plan to the EPA.
02
International Paper operated a mill for decades on the edge of Africatown, a historic Black community founded by survivors of America's last slave ship, before closing and bulldozing the site. In 2018, roughly 1,200 residents filed a class-action lawsuit alleging the company had released hazardous chemicals exceeding EPA limits and failed to properly clean up the site, leaving contamination that residents say is responsible for the community's alarming cancer rates.
03
International Paper's Springfield, OR mill has been the source of a chemical groundwater plume for over 30 years, with contamination detected at up to eight times the EPA's safe drinking water limit. The company has monitored the contamination since acquiring the property in 2008, but pockets above the federal safety threshold remain, less than a mile from local drinking water sources.
AND THEN THERE’S KROGER…
Kroger has spent years building sophisticated surveillance and pricing structures to squeeze as much profit as it can out of shoppers. From electronic shelf labels that can change prices instantly to cameras hidden in store displays and vast profiles built from shoppers’ data, Kroger is watching its customers and ripping them off.
Despite having promised to switch to better eggs, Kroger continues selling low-quality eggs from filthy, cruel conditions that would make anyone’s stomach churn.
A Kroger executive admitted under oath to gouging prices on milk and eggs above inflation during COVID. Kroger has also been found charging customers higher prices in towns where customers have no other store options.
Kroger "Fed the Flames" of the Opioid Crisis
Kroger dispensed massive quantities of addictive opioids with inadequate oversight, destroying countless lives and entire communities in the name of profit. In Kentucky alone, the state alleged Kroger was responsible for more than 11% of all opioid pills dispensed statewide over 13 years. Kentucky's Attorney General said Kroger "tragically fed the flames of the drug addiction fire that rages across every county" of the state.
Kroger paid $1.4 billion to settle lawsuits by states and local governments. As for Mark? He collects over $300,000 a year while the victims continue to suffer.
Mark’s all
wrong.
Mark Sutton has been on Kroger's board since 2017 and chairs its Corporate Governance Committee. He is the person who is supposed to catch problems before they become scandals. But under Mark’s leadership, Kroger has faced a price gouging investigation, a failed $25 billion merger blocked by the FTC, mass worker strikes, lawsuits for wage theft, and more.
In 2025, Kroger’s CEO even resigned over some major ethical violation the company and board has been secretive about — all under Mark’s watch.
Kroger is heading in the wrong direction, and Mark is not the person to fix it.
