Dressed in wellington boots and rain jackets, the dedicated Tree Planting Team from Sappi Europe, including Berry Wiersum CEO, once again braved the Brussels weather to plant a further 1,250 saplings in the Forêt des Soignes. They were rewarded with rays of sunshine, and the feeling of satisfaction after a hard day’s work. The initiative has resulted in 16,250 trees planted since it started 7 years ago.
Jens Kriete is the Environmental Manager at Sappi Europe; “What better way to reconnect with our roots than to plant trees together; and what better way to teach future generations about our renewable industry than to also involve them in tree planting. Along with our CEO and colleagues, we had the pleasure of having some employees’ children to help us during the afternoon.” The team planted a mixture of hornbeams and oaks and celebrated their teamwork by each signing a panel erected on the site which says “These trees were planted with the support of Sappi Europe – 17th March 2017.”
Sappi’s employee-led tree planting initiative started in Spring 2010 in association with ANB (Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos), the equivalent of the Department of Forestry. This organisation is responsible for the planting of approximately 30,000 trees in the Forêt de Soignes every year as part of the National Forest Management Plan (Belgium).
Sappi Europe CEO Berry Wiersum
Further Information
La Forêt de Soignes is a forest located in the south-eastern part of Brussels covering an area of over 4,400 hectares.
Our approach to sustainability is based on a holistic view of Planet, People and Prosperity (the 3P’s). These values and commitments underpin everything we do, from our business decisions and processes to our dealings with stakeholders and customers. Through Eco-Effectiveness, we as Sappi Europe make sustainability very real, moving it from a corporate topic to a topic relevant to each and everyone of us, every single day.
