Southern Africa

The Sappi Saiccor Mill situated in Umkomaas, KwaZulu-Natal hosted a high-level delegation from the office of the outgoing MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA), Ms Nomusa Dube-Ncube, as part of the KZN International Investment Conference.

Commenting on the group’s results, Sappi Chief Executive Officer Steve Binnie said: “The group’s performance over the past year was severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the related government lockdowns and the ensuing economic after-effects. While the first half of the year was satisfactory given that we started the year with dissolving pulp prices at historic lows, the third quarter saw the full impact of Covid-19 before a gradual recovery began in the fourth quarter, in particular for Dissolving Pulp (DP). The improvement is further evidenced by the quarter-on-quarter improvement in EBITDA from US$26 million to US$82 million.”

Sappi Dissolving Pulp has partnered with Birla Cellulose, one of the leading viscose manufacturers in the textile value chain, to provide a forest-to-garment traceability solution for brand owners.

With around 4,000 women employed directly or indirectly by Sappi Forests nationwide– through its own personnel in its nurseries, and sub-contracted to its harvesting and silviculture contractors – the company is very aware of the crucial role that rural women play in the agricultural labour force.