Sappi North America, a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper and packaging products, has announced the release of its 2016 Sustainability Report. The report showcases Sappi’s ongoing sustainability performance. “Each year, we look forward to reporting our progress against the five-year goals we set to ensure that Sappi North America continues as a thriving, sustainable, re-investable paper and paper-based packaging company,” said Mark Gardner, President and CEO of Sappi North America. “In addition to our award-winning environmental practices, this year, I’m also proud of the continued innovation in our products, reinvestment in our business and commitment to safety by our employees and stakeholders. We have an eye to the future and we’re eager to see what the next year brings.”
In 2015, Sappi established a vision for the future that was structured around concrete, measurable initiatives with clear baselines for performance. “The goal to become a truly diversified wood fibre group, targeting a substantial increase in EBITDA through an expanded product portfolio, reflects Sappi’s confidence in its ability to evolve with the changing world – continually maintain and improve returns in mature markets and deliver top-line growth in newer businesses, such as consumer-based packaging,” said the company. “From realizing on major innovations such as Neoterix ST (the first casting and release paper that creates surfaces that inhibit bacterial growth without the use of toxic additives or chemicals), to major reinvestment projects at its Somerset Mill Woodyard, and the recently announced $165 million Paper Machine 1 rebuild, Sappi North America is poised to continue its success through 2017 and beyond.”
Sustainability Goals
Sappi pointed out that its sustainability goals are segmented according to the three most critical elements of its business: People, Planet and Prosperity. Collectively these goals account for an aggressive approach to increasing safety and education for Sappi employees, building returns on net operating assets through increases in operational efficiency, and reducing energy and raw material waste. Some of this year’s performance highlights include:
- Sappi maintained its commitment to responsible sourcing with 100% of its fibre procured in accordance with the SFI Fiber Sourcing standard, as well as the FSC Controlled Wood standard. Plus, 54% of its total fibre came from certified sources.
- Sappi’s Cloquet Mill reached multiple safety milestones, including reaching one million work hours without a loss-time injury twice in the fiscal year, ending with a total LTIFR of 0.13.
- Sappi remains the manufacturer with the lowest carbon footprint out of all domestic producers of coated freesheet papers in the U.S. – and its combined direct and indirect emissions total just 0.38 tons CO2/ton of product.
- The solid waste sent to landfills reached its lowest level in the past five years, due in large part to the continued expansion of Sappi’s beneficial use program where by-products are used by local landowners as a soil amendment.
Additionally, its sustainability efforts are being recognized outside of Sappi. In 2016, the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) awarded Sappi with the AF&PA Leadership in Sustainability Award for Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Reduction for creating a process to capture excess heat and reuse it elsewhere in the manufacturing process. According to Donna Harman, President and CEO of the AF&PA: “Sappi’s Hood Heat Recovery Project at Somerset is a shining example of how improvements to industry infrastructure can benefit the environment as well as the bottom line.”
To access Sappi North America’s 2016 Sustainability Report and learn more about its sustainability initiatives, please visit: https://cdn-s3.sappi.com/s3fs-public/slices/downloads/SR2016_Master_v9_0127_web.pdf.
