Displaying items by tag: sappi

Sappi, a member of the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA), recently announced that five small timber growers in KwaZulu-Natal have made history by becoming the first participants in the Sappi Khulisa programme to achieve forest certification through the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) in the Sappi Group Scheme for small growers.

The five timber growers, with a total 8,143 hectares of timber area, have been successfully audited and awarded a PEFC Group Scheme certificate. The recipients of this significant award and founding members of the Sappi PEFC Group Scheme are the iMfume Cluster, consisting of more than 20 individual small growers from the Mfume district near Scottburgh, Sobengwe Trading from Ixopo, MG Farming from Richmond, Mclean M from Underberg, and Braecroft Timbers from Underberg.

The Sappi Khulisa Programme is a tree-farming scheme. Established in 1983, it initially focused on subsistence farmers who had between one and 20 hectares of land on which to grow trees for commercial use. Today, the programme has expanded to include community forestry projects as well as supplementary agro-forestry enterprises such as beekeeping and vegetable farming.

The certification follows years of intensive efforts by Sappi, working together with other players in the forestry industry to address the barriers of entry for small growers to achieve certification. This international certification provides the crucial assurance to end-use consumers. 

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Forest certification is used as  a tool to ensure that responsible forest management practices are implemented in the forest, and that wood from certified forests can be identified throughout the supply chain. Certification systems establish specific forest management, woodfibre sourcing, Chain of Custody tracking and marketing requirements for certified organisations; provide a framework for third-party auditing; and govern the use of promotional and product claims.

Certification enables conscious consumers to choose responsibly sourced wood-based products. It gives consumers the assurance that the woodfibre used to manufacture the products they are buying has been legally harvested in accordance with sound environmental practices, and that social aspects, such as indigenous rights, have been taken into account. Forest certification and other voluntary codes of conduct are key tools for promoting sustainable consumption and production, and for combating deforestation, forest degradation and illegal logging by providing proof of legality and responsible management, harvesting and manufacturing practices.

In 2021, Sappi announced that it had achieved the first PEFC endorsed SAFAS (Sustainable African Forest Assurance Scheme) certification in South Africa, after starting with the process in 2015 - a journey which entailed participation in the development of a Forest Management Standard for South Africa, the development of mechanisms to support certification requirements and, in 2018, the endorsement of the standard and certification procedures.  A certification tool was developed by the team to assess plantations, based on several factors including environmental, social and economic conditions specific to South Africa.

"After years of collaboration and dedicated commitment to developing a forest certification standard for South Africa, this achievement marks a historical moment in our long journey to support and make forest certification more accessible to the small landowners that participate in our supplier programmes," commented Duane Roothman, Vice President of Sappi Forests.

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Due to continuing high cost and volatility in raw materials, energy and transportation Sappi Europe has announced a price increase to its Coated Mechanical reels. The adjustment will range between 6-9% and will be implemented during the month of October.

2020 11 02 094120Sappi’s European sales team will be in further contact directly with customers to discuss the details of the implementation.

The business climate remains extremely challenging for everyone, and Sappi appreciates all its customers support in these difficult times.

Sappi is a leading global provider of sustainable woodfibre products and solutions, in the fields of Dissolving pulp, Printing papers, Packaging and Speciality papers, Casting and release papers, Biomaterials and Bio-energy. As a company that relies on renewable natural resources, sustainability is at our core. Sappi European mills hold chain of custody certifications under the Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC™ C015022) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC/07-32-76) systems. Our papers are produced in mills accredited with ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50 001 and ISO

45 001 certification. We have EMAS registration at 5 of our 10 mills in Europe. 

Sappi Europe is a division of Sappi Limited (JSE), headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with 12,500 employees and 19 production facilities on three continents in nine countries, 37 sales offices globally, and customers in over 150 countries around the world.

Learn more about Sappi at www.sappi.com

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Thursday, 05 August 2021 11:01

Sappi taps Toscotec for TT SYD Steel Yankee Dryer

Toscotec has received an order from Sappi to supply a TT SYD Steel Yankee Dryer to their mill in Stanger, South Africa. The TT SYD was delivered in record time only 20 weeks after the order. The start-up is planned for the third quarter of 2021.

2021 08 05 110035The cylinder was shipped off from Toscotec’s fully integrated and innovative TT SYD Technology Center in Massa (Italy), where Toscotec manufactures all its steel Yankees. The Center is conveniently located three kilometers away from seaport to expedite shipping operations of large diameter Yankees. The scope of supply includes the Yankee steam and condensate system and Toscotec’s patented head insulation designed to ensure maximum thermal energy efficiency. Toscotec will provide the complete project management, erection supervision, commissioning, and start-up assistance.

Nash Ayer, Procurement Manager at Sappi Southern Africa Ltd., comments, “We decided on Toscotec because they met our foremost selection criteria of high energy efficiency and reliability. The choice of leading-edge technology such as TT SYD that will increase the energy efficiency of our tissue line is part of our strong commitment to climate-smart solutions. Given the short timeframe we had on this project, Toscotec gave us their full support by shortening the delivery time.”

Fabio Bargiacchi, Toscotec’s Sales Manager, says, “We are glad to start a new cooperation with Sappi, one of the largest and most innovative pulp and paper producers worldwide. The 20 weeks delivery time obviously posed a big challenge but Toscotec achieved an outstanding result by tapping into the great manufacturing flexibility of its TT SYD Technology Center. With this order, Toscotec further strengthens its position in South Africa, where we have been awarded six new projects in the last 5 years.” 

With over 200 TT SYD operating in 5 continents across the globe, Toscotec is the undisputed market leader of steel Yankee dryers holding more than 70% market share. Toscotec has manufactured the biggest steel Yankee dryer in the tissue sector, and its TT SYD has been selected for a wide range of applications, including tissue, MG paper, TAD, and tobacco. 
Toscotec’s continuously growing experience of Yankee dryers operating under the most diverse conditions drives the progress of TT SYD’s design and services. In 2021, Toscotec launched TT Defender®, a breakthrough patented innovation that provides Yankees with an internal protection coating against corrosive steam.

About Sappi
Established in 1936, Sappi is a leading global provider of products made from woodfibre-based renewable resources, including raw materials (dissolving pulp (DP), wood pulp and biomaterials) and end-use products (tissue, packaging and specialty papers, graphic papers, casting and release papers, and forestry products). It operates 19 production facilities in Europe, North America, and Southern Africa, manufacturing 5.7 million tpy of paper, 2.4 million tpy of paper pulp, and 1.4 million tpy of dissolving pulp. Sappi’s global sales and distribution network reaches over 150 countries. 

For further information, please contact:
Fabio Bargiacchi, Area Sales Manager, Tissue division, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Commenting on the group’s results, Sappi Chief Executive Officer Steve Binnie said: “We have seen a significant improvement in market conditions in the majority of our trading regions during the quarter. This contributed to a material increase in quarter-on-quarter EBITDA and an overall return to profit of US$18 million”.

He continued: “I am particularly pleased with the performance of our packaging and specialities segment which delivered a record EBITDA and validates our strategic investments in this sector. Strong demand and good pricing in the dissolving pulp segment also had a beneficial impact on our South African and North American businesses. In contrast, margins in our European business remained under pressure due to escalating raw material costs and logistical challenges, which constrained export sales.

2014 11 10 212517 sappiAs Covid-19 lockdown restrictions continue to ease, we are seeing a steady improvement in global economic activity. This had a positive impact on graphic paper demand in the quarter and the outlook for this segment is expected to improve further with the normalisation of activities in the travel and entertainment sectors.  Our focus is this segment is to recover margins through stringent cost management and price increase realisation.”

Despite our improved performance, the quarter has not been without challenges. Logistics continued to be a global obstacle; container availability, port congestion and vessel space remained severely constrained in all of our export shipping routes and freight costs escalated significantly.  Additionally, the emergence of more transmissible Covid-19 variants, which are resulting in new waves of infection in countries around the globe, represent an ongoing risk to our employees and business performance. The health and safety of employees is our primary focus and we have embedded strict Covid-19 protocols in the workplace. We actively encourage participation in vaccination programmes and are  working closely with South African health authorities to facilitate vaccination of our employees and their families at our occupational health centres at our operating sites.

A brief period of civil unrest in South Africa during July caused major disruptions to raw material supplies and forced the temporary closure of three of our mills in KwaZulu-Natal.  In the aftermath of the unrest, we worked closely with government and business forums to restore disrupted supply chains and provided immediate assistance to employees, local communities and the South African National Defense Force. The lost production will have an estimated negative impact on our fourth quarter EBITDA of approximately US$16million.”

Looking forward, Binnie stated: “Given the favourable conditions for DP and packaging and specialties combined with tighter graphic paper markets, offset partially by the loss of production volumes from the South African civil unrest and higher raw material costs, we expect an improvement in the fourth quarter EBITDA relative to the third quarter.”

Financial summary for the quarter

  • EBITDA excluding special items US$145 million (Q3 FY20 US$26 million; Q2 FY21 US$112 million)
  • Net Debt of US$2,055 million (Q3 FY20 US$1,977 million)
  • Profit for the period US18 million (Q3 FY20 loss of US$73 million)
  • EPS excluding special items 5 US cent (Q3 FY20 -10 US cents)

The quarter-on-quarter improvement in Group EBITDA and overall return to profit of US$18 million was driven by strong dissolving pulp (‘DP’) prices and an excellent performance from the packaging and specialities segment. These gains were partially offset by ongoing global logistical challenges which impacted export deliveries and costs in all three regions and lower margins in Europe due to significant input cost inflation.

Higher selling prices facilitated a substantial increase in EBITDA for the DP segment and sentiment generally remained buoyant on the back of steadily improving retail demand in the apparel sector. The average Chinese market price for hardwood DP increased 19% on the prior quarter to US$1,088 per ton. However, increased stock levels of viscose staple fibre (VSF), yarn and grey fabric through the supply chain exerted some downward pressure on the VSF price and consequently led to a gradual reduction in the Chinese DP price at quarter end. DP sales volumes for the quarter were below expectations due to a loss of production volumes at the Saiccor Mill and shipping delays in both South Africa and North America. The planned maintenance shut at Saiccor Mill in May was extended and the subsequent start up took longer than planned, which resulted in a production loss of approximately 40,000 tons.  Due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, original equipment vendors were unable to travel to South Africa. As a consequence, the execution of a number of critical projects during the shut was negatively impacted. Shipping delays at quarter end further reduced sales volumes by 21,000 tons.

The EBITDA in the packaging and specialities segment reached a new record high and contributed almost half of the group EBITDA. Sales volumes increased by 23% compared to the equivalent quarter in the prior year and validate the strategic actions taken to reduce exposure to graphic paper through diversification into this segment. The growth in sales volumes and the improved margins are reflective of the encouraging progress in North America to optimise the product mix at the Somerset Mill and a strong containerboard performance in South Africa.

In a positive development, demand for graphic paper improved during the quarter as a result of renewed global economic activity as countries eased Covid-19 lockdown restrictions. Sales volumes in the segment reached 90% of volumes in the pre-Covid equivalent quarter in 2019. The substantial capacity that exited the sector also tightened the market balance. However, profitability in the segment remained under pressure due to spiralling purchased pulp input costs, particularly in Europe, in combination with a lag in selling price increases.

Outlook

During July, incidents of civil unrest in South Africa caused major disruptions to raw material supplies and forced the temporary closure of the Saiccor, Tugela and Stanger Mills in KwaZulu-Natal. A combined total of 28,000 tons of DP and 7,000 tons of paper production were lost, which will have an estimated negative impact on fourth quarter EBITDA of approximately US$16million. The completion and commissioning of the Saiccor Mill expansion project was also negatively impacted by the unrest and ongoing Covid-19 travel restrictions. Therefore, the start-up is projected to be delayed until early in the new financial year.

The outlook for the DP segment remains positive despite a gradual weakening of market pricing in the third quarter. Prices of VSF, cotton and polyester all increased during July which should support DP prices. The fundamental driver of market dynamics in the DP segment is apparel sales, which continue to improve globally quarter-on-quarter as economic activity resumes. The demand from Sappi’s DP customers remains strong and much of the benefit of the elevated third quarter pricing will be realised in the fourth quarter due to the lag in contractual pricing.

The underlying demand in the packaging and specialities segment remains robust particularly in South Africa and North America and opportunities for further growth in sales volumes exist in Europe. The outlook for graphic paper in the fourth quarter is encouraging and market conditions are anticipated to steadily recover as activities in the travel and entertainment sectors normalise. This improvement in combination with global industry capacity closures are expected to tighten market supply and allow for price increase traction. However, purchased pulp, chemicals and logistics cost inflation are anticipated to continue into the fourth quarter and will negatively impact margins.

Global logistical challenges including container shortages, port congestion and availability of vessel capacity are still adversely impacting deliveries in all regions. Furthermore, on 22 July the South African Port operator, Transnet, was the victim of a cyber-attack which severely disrupted port, rail and road operations and further exacerbated the congestion and inefficiencies in the Durban Port due to the civil unrest.

Capital expenditure in FY2021 is estimated to be US$400 million and liquidity headroom within the group remains strong.

The full results announcement is available at www.sappi.com

There will be a conference call to which investors are invited. Full details are available at www.sappi.com using the links Investors; Latest financial results

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Commenting on the group’s results, Sappi Chief Executive Officer Steve Binnie said: “I am pleased with the steady recovery from the ongoing challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. EBITDA continued to improve quarter-on-quarter from a low of US$26m in our third quarter of 2020 through US$98m in the previous quarter to US$112 for the current quarter, with further improvement expected for our third quarter.”

He continued: “The North American and South African regions recorded strong improvements in profitability. This was in contrast to Europe where extended lockdowns and restrictions on economic activity hindered the performance. Covid-19 also severely affected global shipping and container availability, which impacted sales volumes in a number of product categories.

sappi logoOur comprehensive Covid-19 action plan is fully entrenched in all of our operations and employee safety remains a top priority. The rate of employee and contractor infections reduced significantly during the quarter across all regions and as a consequence there was minimal impact on mill operations.”

Looking forward, Binnie stated: “Given the favourable market conditions for DP and packaging and speciality papers, offset partially by the weak graphic paper demand and global logistical challenges, we expect the third quarter EBITDA to improve relative to the second quarter.  However, earnings in the European business will be lower due to rising pulp costs.”

Financial summary for the quarter

  • EBITDA excluding special items US$112 million (Q2 FY20 US$131 million)
  • Net debt US$2,070 million (Q2 FY20 US$1,879 million)
  • Loss for the period US$23 million (Q2 FY20 Profit of US$2 million)
  • EPS excluding special items -1 US cent (Q21 FY20 4 US cents)

 

For the quarter, a strong packaging and specialities performance combined with solid results from dissolving pulp (DP) more than offset the weak demand and margin squeeze in graphic paper.  

A positive highlight for the quarter was the continued rapid recovery of DP markets, with Chinese market prices at the highest levels since May 2012. The key factors supporting the positive sentiment in the sector include continued tight DP supply, low viscose staple fibre (VSF) inventory levels throughout the textile value chain, improved apparel retail demand in the US and Asia which favourably impacted all textile fibre prices, higher paper pulp prices and a continued weaker US$/Renminbi exchange rate. 

Sales volumes in the packaging and specialities segment increased by 25% compared to last year due to a further ramp-up of board products in North America and strong containerboard demand in South Africa. While demand for most categories in Europe was positive, some non-essential products were affected by Covid-19 related lockdowns.

The steady rate of recovery in graphic paper demand over the last two quarters slowed and sales volumes in the segment were 17% lower than the same quarter last year. Capacity closures enabled Sappi to gain market share but pressure on input costs, particularly pulp, and rising delivery charges impacted profitability negatively.

Across all regions logistics issues, including congested networks, shipping line schedule disruptions, lack of containers and vessel space constraints impacted regular customer deliveries, saw a rise in delivery costs and higher freight rates and prevented Sappi from achieving the benefits of improved export market demand, in particular from Europe and South Africa.

In a positive development, new leverage covenants have been agreed with the banking group as Sappi exits the financial covenant suspension period in September 2021. The new covenants will start at 5.50 for December 2021 and reduce quarterly to 4.25 by March 2023.

Outlook

DP market indicators remain positive and demand from our customers currently exceeds our capacity. As at 30 April 2021 the Chinese DP market price was US$1,100 per ton. However, pricing for VSF and other textile fibres has reduced in recent weeks. Much of the benefit from the material recovery of DP prices in the second quarter will be realised in subsequent quarters due to the lag in contractual pricing. A prolonged stronger ZAR/US$ exchange rate will temper some of the pricing benefits for the South African DP segment.

The underlying demand in the packaging and specialities segment in North America and South Africa remains robust and our focus is shifting to improving margins through machine efficiencies, mix optimisation and price realisation. However, as long as there is uncertainty in Europe regarding the continuing lockdowns due to Covid-19, the sluggish economic activity in this region is expected to impact demand for non-essential consumer products.

Graphic paper markets remain challenging and demand is still well below the long term pre-Covid-19 trend levels. The persistent weak demand in Europe is likely to keep the market in oversupply and diminish pricing power. The lag in sales price increase realisation in combination with rising raw material and logistics costs could exacerbate the margin squeeze even further in that region.

Ongoing worldwide logistical challenges of container shortages, port congestion and availability of vessel capacity pose a risk to export volumes from all regions in the third quarter.

Capital expenditure in FY2021 is estimated to be US$400 million and the Saiccor Mill expansion project is expected to commence production in the fourth quarter. Liquidity headroom within the group is good. The successful reinstatement of our leverage covenants as described earlier provides a comfortable level of headroom when covenant measurement commences again from December 2021.

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As part of Sappi’s global long term commitment to sustainability and the focus it has on climate action a decision has been reached to invest in a complete modernisation of boiler 11 at the Sappi Europe Gratkorn production site. This investment into state-of-the-art technology will see a shift from a coal boiler to a multi fuel boiler in two phases with the goal to finally use only sustainable and renewable fuels. “The rebuild is an important investment in our sustainable pulp and paper production and a further important contribution to climate protection. It allows Gratkorn mill to reduce its CO2 emissions by 30 % and is a big commitment to boosting the decarbonisation of our sector”, says Berry Wiersum, CEO Sappi Europe.

2020 09 07 101041

This investment is part of an overall larger scale decarbonisation strategy for Sappi Europe, which in the near term seeks to deliver a 25% specific greenhouse gas reduction by 2025. 

The chosen technology for the project will additionally allow us to sharply reduce dust and NOX emissions. 

In June 2020, Sappi Limited committed to set science-based targets through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The SBTi is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

2020 09 07 101011

Gratkorn is the largest production site within Sappi Europe and manufactures high quality coated woodfree paper for the printing and writing market distributing globally. Sappi has realised several investments over the years, which have kept the Gratkorn site technologically ahead with its facilities housing one of the largest and most advanced coated fine paper production lines in the world. This further investment proves Sappi steadfast commitment to not only maintaining and improving its production sites but to helping themselves and their customers on their sustainability journeys.

The rebuild is expected to be complete in late 2021.

 

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Wednesday, 12 August 2020 10:40

Platinum for sustainability

Sappi is one of the world’s leading companies with its CSR performance

Sappi Europe received a platinum score in the latest EcoVadis rating. The leading global provider of sustainable woodfibre products and solutions retained its top position from the previous year among the leading one per cent of all companies assessed which exhibit high activity and responsibility with regard to corporate social responsibility (CSR).

  • Sappi Europe receives top rating for sustainability
  • Unlocking the power of renewable resources to benefit people, communities and the planet

sappi logoAs part of its clear strategic goals in relation to sustainability and environmental protection, Sappi reached a new milestone. The market leader in environmentally friendly packaging and graphic papers received a platinum score in this year’s sustainability rating from EcoVadis, establishing itself as one of the top performers, with a score well above the overall average. The EcoVadis rating covers a total of 21 criteria, which in turn are divided into four general areas: environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.

Encouraging sustainable operations across the entire value chain have been a key part of Sappi’s corporate strategy for many years. Sappi’s entire business model and investments in research and development are based on the use of renewable materials. The environment management approach of the global company includes a variety of strategies designed to improve its ecological footprint. For 2025, Sappi has linked its sustainability targets to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Sappi has long held principles based around People, Planet and Prosperity and with  a heightened focus on seven of the SDG’s they believe they can deliver  real impact and contribute to the global sustainable development agenda.

The platinum rating from EcoVadis demonstrates that Sappi not only talks about sustainability, but actively works towards ensuring it in a very practical way. The whole world is talking about sustainable solutions and looking for alternatives to fossil fuels. Sappi is focused on providing product solutions to the market. A few weeks ago, the market leader presented a number of solutions relating to functional paper packaging as part of its ‘Pro Planet Paper Packaging’ campaign to enable sustainable, high-quality packaging for food and non-food products.

Sappi Europe is extremely proud to have obtained the EcoVadis Platinum rating and while certification and recognition go a long way to helping our work we also acknowledge at Sappi Europe that we are part of a global community that need to continue to strive in all our business areas to create the change needed to help our customers become truly sustainable. The recyclable nature of products derived from woodfibre are essential to creating a more circular economy, where the world’s resources are kept in use longer and more creatively. By responsibly sourcing materials, reducing material waste and emissions , carefully considering product end-of-life, and aiming to use the full potential of trees, we

actively promote more sustainable systems explains Sarah Price, Sappi Europe’s Sustainability Manager

About EcoVadis

EcoVadis is an international institute based in France which awards ratings for CSR. The assessment ratings currently include bronze, silver, gold and platinum. More than 65,000 companies from over 200 industries in 160 countries around the world use EcoVadis to assess themselves and their supply chains.

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sappi logoDecreasing profitability combined with further cost increases makes a 5-8% price increase in all Sappi’s European markets unavoidable. This increase affects WFC and WFU sheets and reels and is valid as per the 14th of April 2020. Your local sales office representative will contact you with further market related details.

About Sappi

Sappi is a leading global provider of sustainable woodfibre products and solutions, in the fields of Dissolving wood pulp, Printing papers, Packaging and speciality papers, Casting and release papers, Biomaterials and Bio-energy. As a company that relies on renewable natural resources, sustainability is at our core. Sappi European mills hold chain of custody certifications under the Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC™) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification™ (PEFC™) systems. Our papers are produced in mills accredited with ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50 001 and OHSAS 18001 certification. We have EMAS registration at 8 of our 10 mills in Europe.

Sappi Europe SA is a division of Sappi Limited (JSE), headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with 12,500 employees and 18 production facilities on three continents in nine countries, 37 sales offices globally, and customers in over 150 countries around the world.

Learn more about Sappi at www.sappi.com

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Sappi’s strategy recognises the leadership position of the company in graphic papers markets and the need to strengthen its position in these markets to deliver maximum value to the company. The continuing and accelerating structural drop in demand for coated papers in Europe and elsewhere has made it impossible for Sappi Europe to fill its capacities adequately and to be sufficiently profitable in its current form. Importantly the current unfavourable market situation is caused by factors that are beyond Sappi’s control.

sappi logoTaking these market conditions into account, Sappi has undertaken a thorough review of its European production assets. It has concluded that the least disruptive way to adjust its capacity in line with market demand would be to operate fewer machines. Exhaustive analysis indicates that the preferred option to achieve this would be to relocate the entire production output of Paper Machine 2 at Stockstadt mill (some 240,000 tpa of coated graphic paper) to other Sappi paper machines in Europe.

To this end, Sappi Europe has today begun a process of consultation with the competent employee representatives at Stockstadt mill. The task at hand is to identify viable alternatives for Paper Machine 2.

Berry Wiersum, CEO of Sappi Europe commented: “We fully recognise and commend the enormous efforts, both past and present, that employees and the management of Stockstadt mill have undertaken to reduce costs in order to earn better margins. Despite these relentless efforts the situation will not improve in the foreseeable future. We very much regret that we are confronted with this situation and hope that the consultation period can be used to find jointly socially acceptable solutions. At the same time, it is imperative that we not lose sight of the overall objective of improving the competitiveness of Stockstadt mill and securing its future.”

The mill currently employs 760 people, of which up to 150 positions may be impacted by the consultations. Sappi stands ready to provide the required support and to implement the decisions reached as a result of the consultation process.

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Cepi, the European association representing the paper industry, has announced a new alliance called 4evergreen. The aim of the alliance is to boost the contribution of fibre-based packaging in a circular and sustainable economy that minimises climate and environmental impact.

The alliance will increase awareness about the benefits of fibre-based packaging materials, advocate for EU legislation supporting product design for recyclability and call for the development of optimised collection systems and appropriate recycling infrastructures.

sappi logoThe rise of environmental awareness and consumer concerns, as well as the increase of packaging focused regulation, such as the Single Use Plastics Directive, have helped companies to accelerate the development of alternative packaging materials including fibre-based packaging with a view to helping consumers make more climate-friendly choices.

4evergreen was created as a forum to engage and connect industry members from across the fibre-based packaging value chain, from paper and board producers to packaging converters, brand-owners and retailers, technology and material suppliers, waste sorters and collectors.

The 4evergreen alliance is important because it was born from an initiative of consumer product industry leaders who recognize the huge potential of fibre-based packaging in a circular economy” said Susanne Oste, VP Innovation and Sustainability at Sappi.  “Their customers want sustainable packaging and fibre-based products provide the most climate-friendly solution available.

Sappi is proud to play a part in this industry alliance.  We have been investing heavily for more than 10 years in cutting edge research into real solutions for the problems that confront our customers.  A recent success is the launch of the only fully recyclable confectionary  wrapper on the market today.”

About Sappi

Sappi is a leading global provider of sustainable woodfibre products and solutions, in the fields of Dissolving wood pulp, Printing papers, Packaging and speciality papers, Casting and release papers, Biomaterials and Bio-energy. As a company that relies on renewable natural resources, sustainability is at our core. Sappi European mills hold chain of custody certifications under the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) and/or the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification™ (PEFC™) systems. Our papers are produced in mills accredited with ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50 001 and OHSAS 18001 certification. We have EMAS registration at 8 of our 10 mills in Europe. 

Sappi Europe SA is a division of Sappi Limited (JSE), headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with 12,500 employees and 18 production facilities on three continents in nine countries, 37 sales offices globally, and customers in over 150 countries around the world.

Learn more about Sappi at www.sappi.com/

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