Sappi Europe announces today that it has cut the carbon footprint of its Galerie paper range by 55%, which is projected to reach 70% by the end of 2024. This milestone is a key step forward in Sappi Europe’s sustainability journey, contributing significantly to its decarbonisation targets as well as those of its customers.
The Sustainability Journey
In 2023, Sappi Europe’s Kirkniemi Mill in Lohja, Finland successfully transitioned to renewable biomass energy, reducing its Scope 1 emissions, direct emissions from Sappi’s own operations, by 90%.
Building on the significant investment made to Kirkniemi’s energy systems, clean electricity is now also being supplied to the mill, eliminating scope 2, indirect emissions. These efforts have led to a 55% overall reduction in the carbon footprint of Sappi’s Galerie paper range, which is estimated to reach a remarkable 70% by the end of the year.
This transformation is among nearly 80 projects outlined in Sappi Europe’s decarbonisation roadmap, a blueprint that will see the company’s energy-related sustainability targets through to 2025. This also closely aligns with Sappi’s science-based targets for 2030.
Supporting Customers’ Sustainability Performance
These investments substantially support customers’ efforts to decrease their own carbon footprint. “The reductions from our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions enormously contribute to our customers’ respective emission reduction targets. There’s a direct impact on the reduction of their Scope 3 emissions, indirect emissions related to the purchase of goods and services.” says Sales Director, Antti Makkonen. “Since Galerie is exclusively produced at Sappi’s Kirkniemi Mill, customers can rest assured that the sustainability credentials are the same on every page produced.”
A Future Commitment to Sustainability
“Sappi Europe’s decarbonisation journey underwent a massive acceleration from 2020 onwards. We’re proud to be on schedule, despite challenging economic conditions,” says Sarah Price, Sappi Europe’s Director of Sustainability. “For us, this is much broader than emissions; it’s about investing now for long-term positive change and enabling our customers to do the same.”
About Sappi
Sappi is a leading global provider of everyday materials made from woodfibre-based renewable resources. As a diversified, innovative and trusted leader focused on sustainable processes and products, Sappi is building a more circular economy by making what it should, not just what it can. Its raw materials offerings (including dissolving pulp, wood pulp and biomaterials) and end-use products (packaging papers, specialty papers, graphic papers, casting and release papers, forestry products) are manufactured from woodfibre sourced from sustainably managed forests and plantations. Many of Sappi’s production facilities use internally generated bioenergy, enabling many of its operations to be energy self-sufficient.
Sappi produces 5.5 million tons of paper, 2.6 million tons of paper pulp, 1.5 million tons of dissolving pulp per year. Globally, it has over 12,000 employees, 400,000 ha of owned and leased sustainably managed forests in South Africa. Sappi Limited (JSE) is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa with manufacturing operations across three continents and sells its products in more than 150 countries.
Sappi Europe is a division of Sappi Limited where its European mills hold chain of custody certifications under the Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC™ C015022) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC/07-32-76) systems. Our papers are produced in mills accredited with ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001 and ISO 45001 certification. We have EMAS registration at 5 of our 8 mills in Europe.
Learn more about Sappi at: www.sappi.com
