Sustainable Purpose
Healthy forests
We practise and promote responsible forestry to ensure forestland stays forested for generations to come.
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At Sappi, we believe that by actively managing forests, we’re investing in forest health and helping to secure a sustainable future for both people and planet. Forest management practices, which rely on scientific knowledge of silvicultural best practices applicable in respective vegetation zones, promote forest health, growth, diversity, resilience, and carbon sequestration.
Why forests matter
Home to the majority of terrestrial biodiversity, forests cover nearly one-third of the Earth’s land area. They are essential to the resilience of our planet and offer a wide range of ecosystem services, including sequestering carbon, purifying water, conserving soil, and supporting countless plant and animal species. They also provide social and economic value, contributing to livelihoods, income generation, and employment for millions of people around the world. Forests are directly or indirectly linked to all 17 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), making them a cornerstone of global sustainability.
Forestry doesn’t exist in isolation—it’s a vital link in the chain of sustainability, conservation, and economic growth
Duane Roothman, VP of Sappi Forests
Tonnes of CO₂ absorbed per year
Tonnes of CO₂ absorbed per year
Trees as carbon sinks
Trees and forests play an integral role in the global carbon cycle, absorbing a substantial amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year.
- Harris, N.L., D.A. Gibbs, A. Baccini, R.A. Birdsey, S. de Bruin, et al. (2021). "Global maps of twenty-first century forest carbon fluxes." Nature Climate Change 11, 234–240. doi:10.1038/s41558-020-00976-6" And add "estimated" in front of "tonnes of CO₂
For Sappi, healthy forests are not just critical natural resources, they are a critical nature-related consideration for our business. Our reliance on forests brings both opportunity and responsibility. As such, we continuously identify, monitor and manage a range of forest-related dependencies, impacts, risks, and opportunities.
The forest sector plays a key role in keeping forestland forested by creating dependable markets for responsibly grown wood. This economic incentive is critical to promoting long-term forest management and discouraging land conversion to other uses.
Promoting sustainable forest management
Responsible, active forest management is critical to maintaining a healthy balance of economic, social and ecological attributes from the world’s forests for present and future generations.
Healthy, robust, well-managed forests support community wellbeing, provide a haven for wildlife and diverse plant species, protect watersheds and play a critical role in the carbon sequestration cycle. When timber is responsibly harvested, it can contribute to the maintenance and restoration of resilient, renewable forests.
Through managing our own land
In South Africa, we own and lease approximately 400,000 hectares, of which 138,000 hectares are maintained by Sappi Forests to conserve the natural habitat and biodiversity found there. We implement a comprehensive plantation management system to ensure they are managed in accordance with legislation, best practice and consideration of social and environmental aspects. The plantation management system and its implementation meet all the requirements for FSC™ and PEFC Forest Management certification standards.
Plantations are functional forests that are managed to promote tree growth and all-natural processes, and are protected from overharvesting, fire, pests, diseases and soil degradation. Sappi balances harvesting with replanting to maintain the forest cover of our plantations.
Through our woodfibre sourcing
Knowing the origin of woodfibre is a fundamental prerequisite for responsible sourcing. Sappi requires rigorous tracing practices and documentation of the origin of all woodfibre. Suppliers must provide evidence that all woodfibre is sourced from controlled, non-controversial sources in accordance with risk-based due diligence systems, including the FSC™ Controlled Wood Standard PEFC and SFI ® in the United States and Canada.
Forest certification systems with third-party verified forest management and Chain of Custody processes ensure that responsible forest management practices are implemented in the forest, and that woodfibre from certified forests can be identified throughout the supply chain. Accordingly, we have Chain of Custody certification in place at all our mills and maintain high levels of certified wood fibre in our sourcing.
Related content
Forest certification
We work with credible, internationally recognised certification systems which give assurance to the origin of woodfibre and responsible forest management practices.
Biodiversity
Protecting biodiversity is a fundamental aspect of sustainable forest management. In our own land, approximately 139,000 hectares is set aside to conserve the natural habitat and biodiversity.
Wood sourcing
Sappi maintains transparent, accountable, third-party audited supply chains to ascertain that the origin of the wood is always known and that it verifiably originates from responsibly managed forests.
Forestry in Southern Africa
By driving the circular economy and supporting rural development, Sappi Forests secures low-cost, quality wood to maintain competitive margins for its manufacturing operations while actively conserving biodiversity and creating shared value for neighbouring communities.
Fast facts about forests
At Sappi, we understand the value of trees by recognising their crucial role in climate action and promoting sustainable forestry.
Fast facts about forests
At Sappi, we understand the value of trees by recognising their crucial role in climate action and promoting sustainable forestry.
Halting deforestation is critical
Halting deforestation is critical to combating climate change and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. FAO defines deforestation as the conversion of forest to other land use, whether human-induced or not. It includes areas of forest converted to agriculture, pasture, water reservoirs, mining and urban areas. Deforestation is chiefly caused by the conversion of forest land to agriculture and livestock areas. Deforestation alone accounts for about 11% of greenhouse gas emissions.
We neither harvest nor buy woodfibre which originates from tropical natural forests and our wood sourcing causes zero deforestation. Our commitment to zero deforestation means knowing the source of woodfibre and ensuring that suppliers implement practices to promptly regenerate forests post-harvest, which is required under the global forest certification standards that Sappi is committed to upholding.
greenhouse gas emissions caused by deforestation
greenhouse gas emissions caused by deforestation
Committed to zero deforestation
Sappi neither harvests nor buys woodfibre from tropical natural forests.
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