Sustainability Report 2018

At Sappi North America, we recognize that strong, sustainable companies don't merely manage against quarterly financial targets — they invest in the people they employ, they make commitments to protect the planet from the wasteful use of natural resources, and they have a clear vision for achieving profitable growth and prosperity for current and future generations.

Since the release of our first Sustainability Report in 2011 we have consistently demonstrated a commitment to transparency, innovation and doing good - environmentally, socially and economically.

The three pillars of sustainability – People, Planet and Prosperity – remain core to our operations. We are committed to helping all our partners across the supply chain understand the true footprint of our business so that they can trust that when they do business with us, they are doing business with the leader in the industry.

The year was filled with transformation including the completion of a paper machine rebuild at Sappi’s Somerset Mill, the development of a new packaging line, the launch of a new dissolving pulp product brand, Verve, and the introduction of a new sustainability leadership team. This team of experts is committed to maintaining a collaborative work environment and driving sustainability efforts with successful employee engagement. Together, they bring a diversified approach that will continue to strengthen Sappi’s leading sustainability strategies and build a strong path toward solving the challenges of the future.

Highlights of our 2018 Sustainability Report include:

  • Excellent industrial safety performance with a Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate of 0.35 for the year—the lowest in Sappi North America’s history.
  • Among the lowest carbon footprints in our sector, with just 0.38 tons of CO2 generated per ton of product made. In fact, over 75% of our total energy needs are derived from renewable resources like woody biomass.
  • 100% of our wood and pulp is sourced in conformance with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) Fiber Standard and 58% is third-party certified under either SFI®, FSC®, PEFC™ or as part of a Point of Harvest program.  
  • Strong and innovative waste reduction initiatives, including reuse of byproducts to avoid landfill.  Looking at pulp mill operations alone, this year we reduced waste by 18 percent from our 2014 baseline.

We have our eye to the future, not only for the evolution of our business and products, but the impact that we will continue to have on our environment. We strive to find sustainable solutions to everything that we do, and we thank you, our stakeholders, for helping us along the way.

To learn more, download a PDF of Sappi North America’s 2018 Sustainability Report here.

Content from this campaign

Sustainable Development Goals

Sappi's Somerset Mill Celebrates Completion of Paper Machine Rebuild
To meet customer needs for renewable paperbased packaging, we comprehensively rebuilt Paper Machine 1 (PM1) at our Somerset Mill in Skowhegan, Maine.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Sappi Limited is Recognized as a Socially Responsible Investment 
Sappi Limited is proud to earn a spot in the FTSE/ JSE Responsible Investment Top 30 Index.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Annettee Luchene, CFO, Describes How Sappi North America Contributes to Global Group Success
Sappi North America (SNA) takes a holistic stance on prosperity, understanding that a myriad of factors will define our financial success.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

New Leadership Team Driving Sappi Forward
2018 was a year of transformation for Sappi North America (SNA). We rebuilt a paper machine, developed an entirely new packaging line, helped launch exciting new brand positioning for our dissolving pulp product, and established a creative, passionate sustainability team to set the course for our future.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

A Letter From Sappi North America's CEO and President Mark Gardner
2018 was an enormously important, transformational year for Sappi North America (SNA). We executed on several fronts to make our company sustainable for the long term. Through significant investments in our people and in our mills, and rigorous attention to our high standards for safety, operational efficiency and environmental stewardship, we are well on our way to becoming the thriving, diversified, growing business we set out to be just a few years ago. Let me share a few of my highlights and reflections for the future:

Sustainable Development Goals

Making People Central to a Sustainability Strategy
At Sappi North America (SNA), we keep sustainability at the forefront of our operations. Together with the 2020Vision— Sappi’s global growth strategy—we use our sustainability goals program to set targets, initiate improvement actions, and monitor our commitment to progress. Our goals are reflective of the desires of our employees, customers, and investors.

Sustainable Development Goals

Sappi's Commitment to Reducing Global Environmental Footprint
At Sappi North America (SNA), we keep sustainability at the forefront of our operations. Together with the 2020Vision— Sappi’s global growth strategy—we use our sustainability goals program to set targets, initiate improvement actions, and monitor our commitment to progress. Our goals are reflective of the desires of our employees, customers, and investors.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Sappi Limited's CEO Steve Binnie Reflects on North America's Year of Renewal
I would like to congratulate the Sappi North America (SNA) team on another successful year, truly embodying this year’s theme of renewal. The business underwent a significant change with the conversion of Paper Machine 1 (PM1) at the Somerset Mill to be able to produce packaging and speciality paper grades. We also commenced a project to increase dissolving pulp capacity at Cloquet. These exciting changes are part of Sappi’s global strategy to boost capacity in higher growth and higher margin product segments. Despite the inevitable disruption which accompanies such significant capital projects, the business was able to offset cost pressure in the graphic paper business, nearly doubled packaging business volumes and improved overall profitability after the conversion of Somerset PM1. Impor
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