Before it was trendy: Sappi’s 90 years of sustainable solutions for a global bioeconomy
Published On
8 April 2026
For those who think the bioeconomy is niche and new, it’s neither. Sappi started (as South African Pulp and Paper Industries Limited) in 1936 manufacturing paper from straw, a non-wood agricultural residue, at our first mill east of Johannesburg.
This was an early example of valorising renewable biomass for industrial uses. So we were spearheading solutions for a sustainable bioeconomy 90 years ago. Since then, as you can read in our most recent Group Sustainability Report, we produce everything from dissolving wood pulp to speciality and packaging papers to biomaterials, and we have manufacturing operations on three continents and sell products across more than 150 countries. That's why we define ourselves as a company that uses renewable resources to make woodfibre-based products; the bioeconomy links to the core of what we do.
Many governments, including in South Africa, United States of America and the European Union, have launched a bioeconomy strategy that signals the importance of shifting away from a fossil-based economic system. Driving the long-term competitiveness of a continent or company must, of course, be balanced against the need to drive climate action, preserve biodiversity, and ensure positive social impact. This is Sappi's 4 Ps approach - Principles, Prosperity, People, Planet.
Decarbonisation also plays a crucial role here; we continue to shift to renewable energy sources and optimise production processes to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and lower the carbon footprint of our paper products. In Europe, Sappi has reduced the emission intensity of our graphic paper assets by 48% since 2019. Our packaging and speciality papers also hold immense potential in the circular bioeconomy by offering renewable, recyclable alternatives to traditional fossil-based materials. Recent consumer studies focused on packaging1 show that recycling, using natural and renewable materials and protecting trees lead public thinking on climate action. Ease of recycling and all traits associated with circularity were considered important when opting for more sustainable packaging. Although consumers are not fully aligned on what is considered the most sustainable packaging type, paper and cardboard ranked consistently higher than fossil-based packaging. Sappi continues to develop recyclable, biodegradable and responsibly sourced packaging solutions, to collaborate across value chains to strengthen high-quality recycling systems, and to drive waste reduction.
Sappi also plays a central role in advancing the circular bioeconomy in the fashion sector and in the biomaterials space. As an example of how Sappi maximises the value of every tree harvested, we extract key biochemicals, including wood acids, sugars, and lignin, and transform cellulose fibres into high-performance functional biomaterials such as fibrillated cellulose. This integrated approach enhances our ability to generate multiple high-value revenue streams from each tree, while significantly advancing our environmental sustainability goals. For example, laundry products use chemical polymers as thickeners and binders. Some polymers are classified as microplastics and may end up in the drain during everyday washing and may contribute to water pollution. It is estimated that approximately 145,000 tpa of microplastics are used in EU/EEA alone . Biobased solutions such as Valida fibrillated cellulose, a versatile renewable material derived from wood-based cellulose, offers an ideal alternative due to its extensive surface area and highly stable fibre network that can be used as a structuring agent for liquid formulations, delivering enhanced stability or suspension of active ingredients. In liquid laundry detergents, Valida enhances performance by suspending and evenly distributing encapsulated fragrances.
Find out more about these and many more examples of how Sappi's sustainable solutions are driving robust ecosystems needed in a global bioeconomy: