We’re unlocking the power of trees to make every day more sustainable – for the customers we serve, the communities where we operate and the planet we all call home.
That’s why we’ve made the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) an integral part of our business. The goals define 17 global priorities that challenge us to lean in and apply our creativity and innovation to tackle challenges – from climate change to poverty.
Our journey to a thriving world
The SDGs were a natural starting point to develop Sappi's sustainability framework and our targets for every five-year strategic cycle. The UN SDGs enable us to establish focused, ambitious and measurable goals that will deliver on Sappi's business strategy and also address broader global concerns. Focus teams across Sappi worked intensively to evaluate the 17 SDG themes, and to identify the seven goals that constitute our global priority areas for each phase of our sustainability strategy (the current one stretches to 2030).
From these goals, we then selected the indicators to measure our progress and set our targets. In South Africa, home to our global headquarters, we selected two additional priority SDGs that reflect the socio-economic development priorities that reinforce our unique and longstanding investments in people and local communities in the country.
Setting ambitious targets
In 2022, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) approved our global targets to reduce carbon emissions 41.5% per ton of product by 2030, as well as our commitment that 44% of our suppliers by spend have science-based targets by 2026.
Taking action together
Sappi also joined the call to step up for this Decade of Action and will work with governments, civil society and businesses to achieve ambitious action for sustainable development.
Sappi’s Thrive 2030 targets
Our Thrive 2030 sustainability targets represent the next evolution of our journey toward creating long-term shared value, fully aligned with the UN SDGs and our integrated 4Ps framework – Principles, Prosperity, People and Planet. While our material issues remain unchanged from the previous five-year period (2020-2025), we have refined and simplified certain targets to sharpen our focus, while expanding others to capture emerging opportunities and deepen our impact
What it’s about: Leading with our values
Sappi is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethics, transparency, and compliance through responsible procurement and business practices that build trust, create sustainable value, and contribute to a thriving, prosperous world for all.
Procuring responsibly
Global targets
Share of procurement spend with declared compliance with Supplier Code of Conduct: 85%
Maintain strategic partnerships to support the UN SDGs
What it’s about: Investing in our future
Sappi is committed to maintaining strong financial health as the foundation for sustainable growth, long-term value creation, and the delivery of competitive returns to our shareholders. By safeguarding our financial position, we remain agile and ready for changing markets while driving sustainable solutions that support a circular bioeconomy.
Safeguarding our financial health
Global targets
Return on Capital Employed (ROCE): WACC +2%
Net Debt: <US$ 1 billion
Driving circular solutions
Global targets
Share of new products with enhanced sustainability benefits: 60%
What it’s about: Empowering our people and communities
We are committed to building a safe, inclusive, and high-performing workplace, while driving positive social impact through skills development and community upliftment.
Enabling a safe, diverse and inclusive workplace
Global targets
Achieve zero workplace injuries (LTIFR): Minimum 10% improvement year on year
Participation in employee engagement survey: >= 85%
Percentage of staff engaged with our business: >= 75%
Increase proportion of women in management roles (HRL 16 and upwards from 2024 baseline): By 4% pts (target > 30% )
Creating positive social impact in our communities (from 2024 baseline)
SSA specific targets
Increase small to medium local business participation within the Sappi Southern Africa value chain (from 2024 baseline)
• Integrate and grow 6 small to medium local businesses within SSA value chain per annum
• Increase ESD spend by 25% over 5-year period from 2024 base and strengthen outcomes for skills centre participants (from 2024 baseline)
• Increase participants (incl. Ulwazi) achieving economic activity or school re-entry within one-year post-programme
completion to 60% by 2030
BBBEE rating: Maintain Level 1
What it’s about: Safeguarding nature and building resilience through responsible stewardship
We are committed to reducing our environmental footprint through climate action, safeguarding biodiversity, and accelerating circularity to deliver long-term, nature-positive outcomes that advance the circular bioeconomy.
Improving the state of nature, including land, water, and biodiversity
Global targets
Water
Reduce specific process water withdrawal (from 2024 baseline): 10%
Global targets
Forests
Share of certified fibre: >80%
Chain-of-custody forestry certification (mills): 100%
Dual FSC and PEFC forest management certification for our plantations: 100%
Global targets
Nature
Conduct biodiversity assessments: Across all manufacturing operations
SSA Specific Targets: (from 2024 baseline)
Nature
Expansion of protected area
• Formally protect an additional 2,000 hectares of Sappi land: 30% increase in conservation areas under formal protection
Restoration of critical ecosystems
• Improve the condition of critical ecosystems by 10% on our plantations
Restoration of natural ecosystems
• Achieve at least 10% reduction in alien invasive infestation levels within our Mill properties
Global targets
Resource efficiency and reducing waste
Share of paper and packaging portfolio technically recyclable, re-usable or compostable: 100%
Reduce Specific Waste to landfill (from 2024 baseline): 30%
Global targets
Taking climate action: Carbon emissions
• 44% of global spend with suppliers committed to science-based emissions reduction targets by 2026
• Reduce scope 1+2 GHG emission intensity by 41.5% per ton of product (from 2019 baseline): 41.5%
Making SDGs a priority
Globally, Sappi identified seven priority SDGs where we believe we can make the biggest impact (below).
SDG 5
Reflecting the increasing importance of inclusion and equity, our diversity targets encompass a broad range of management categories, reflecting our contributions to SDG 5. Creating a diverse and engaged workforce remains central to our belief that our people drive performance and innovation.
SDG 6
Water is vital to all life, and especially to our business. Water not only nourishes trees but is used to make pulp and paper, generate steam power and so much more in our mills. That’s why we take our role as responsible water stewards in the regions where we live and work so seriously. Our water reduction target focuses especially on our mills in South Africa where we have some of our largest operations.
SDG 8
As a responsible business operating in many locations around the world, this broad goal aligns with our focus on being a responsible corporate citizen and providing a safe working environment in which our employees can reach their full potential.
SDG 12
Manufacturing products from renewable resources is the core of Sappi’s business and central to our commitment to the circular economy. Through R&D, practical innovation and new product development, we continually create new products, solutions and value from natural resources.
SDG 15
With Sappi’s excellence in sustainable forest management and commitment to stewardship, we want to continue to increase our positive contribution to healthy landscapes. We practise and promote sustainable forestry because it ensures clean air and water, protects biodiversity, and defends against climate change, amongst many other critical benefits. Forest certification validates our forest management practices and those of our suppliers in the well-managed forests and plantations from which we source woodfibre. We strive to continually increase the share of certified woodfibre supplied to our mills.
SDG 17
While Sappi is already engaged in, and has been contributing to many partnerships and collaborations, we look forward to working more deeply with others to scale our ambition in pursuit of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
SDG 1 and 4
Of particular importance in South Africa is the role that Sappi plays in community development. Our footprint in rural areas, due to the location of our forests and mills, focuses our attention, as a responsible corporate citizen, on the needs of these communities. The results? Actions which not only strengthen the business but also have a positive impact on the lives of the people in our communities. Discover more in our 2024 Corporate Citizenship Report for South Africa.
Regional targets
2025 Group Sustainability targets
2025 North America Sustainability targets
2025 South Africa Sustainability targets
2025 Europe Sustainability targets
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