The Importance of Supply Chain Traceability in Customer Confidence

Supply chain traceability is a critical element of risk management. At Sappi we record the town and state or province of origin of each load of wood received at our mills. Representative samples of the deliveries to our mills are subsequently traced backward to confirm the accuracy of the information provided. Through a separate effort, the State of Maine requires that all timber harvests must be registered with the Maine Forest Service, which periodically inspects the operation for environmental compliance. The State of Maine also requires the use of a “trip ticket” to accompany any wood transported to market. The trip ticket identifies the owner, the place of origin and the destination of the wood. A trip ticket system is also utilized in Minnesota, supported by a random sampling process which is incorporated into our certified sourcing procedures. Sappi is not only committed to meeting and exceeding these expectations, but we also want to ensure our customers that we are using ethical and sustainable sourcing practices in all of our US mills. If asked, we want to provide them with the confidence that their products are meeting the high-standards that we set, which go beyond just those mandated by the state.

Learn more about traceability at Sappi and how we impact our communities, customers and employees in the 2015 Sappi North America Sustainability Report: http://bit.ly/21KNUHW.