Histoire de l’entreprise

Behind our 80-year history, celebrated in 2016, is a tale of how a traditional pulp and paper company has evolved to remain relevant in a rapidly changing world.

Our story speaks of an evolutionary journey that has driven our transformation as a global manufacturer into a diversified business with woodfibre at our core.

Back in time, an historic moment occurred when South African Pulp and Paper Industries Limited was established on 17 December 1936. Our name was soon abbreviated to 'SA Pulp', which later became commonly known as Sappi.

From the start, our initial hopes of manufacturing paper from straw at our first mill, Enstra in Springs, east of Johannesburg, sowed the seeds for an 'intentional evolution' – a purposeful effort to gradually adapt and transform in line with market requirements and best practice to ensure a sustainable future.

This resilient approach became part of our DNA. Today, Sappi is a diverse business, with operating units and sales offices on six continents and customers in over 150 countries. And we have a promising future.

More recently, we have become involved in another exciting product segment in the pursuit of new business opportunities in the broader woodfibre field. In 2014, we patented a world-first, low-cost process for the production of nanocellulose (cellulose fibres from wood, on an ultra small nano level). This is a groundbreaking new scientific field with untapped potential in a market that is yet to be fully explored.

On another 'new business' level, we are exploring various energy opportunities through the use of biomass as a fuel source to counter the use of fast depleting fossil fuels and the related issue of CO₂ emissions.