Sappi North America Improves Delivery Rate While Driving Down Emissions

Although 2022 was a year of many successes, it was also a year like no other for supply-chain disruptions. Market dynamics were extremely volatile as inflationary pressures on providers sent prices soaring. Severe congestion at ports and along the rail network, coupled with truck driver shortages, extreme weather events and difficulties with labor, created challenges we had never before faced.

However, despite these challenges, Sappi North America shipped our products with an improved on-time delivery rate, from 90% in the first quarter to 96% in the fourth. We achieved a year of record-breaking shipments, of 2.05 million short tons, from our domestic mills. We accomplished this with no injuries for the 16th consecutive year and with the lowest number of transportation claims since 2013.

Also in 2022, Sappi North America celebrated its 14th consecutive year as an EPA SmartWay® Transport Partner by using transport carriers that leverage technology to minimize our collective carbon footprint, and we were featured on the Journal of Commerce’s annual list of the Top 100 Exporters.

To help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Sappi North America supply chain team worked closely with our transportation partner, Schneider, on a dashboard for tracking greenhouse gas emissions. We have reduced emissions by 2% during the year while also reducing costs by collaborating with our customers to change transport modes from truck to rail.

If we can achieve this kind of success in a year as difficult as 2022, then we are confident we can continue to leverage cost-saving opportunities and reduce emissions as we advance into 2023 and beyond.