Technical Innovation Awards

Sappi's Technical Innovation Awards (TIA) underscore our view that innovation is not an end in itself, but an integral aspect of our business.

It’s a way of operating that provides sustainable, competitive advantages and ensures we grow, flourish, and progress. Each year, three regional winners and one global winner are identified – providing the entries reach our exacting criteria.

Recent examples of global winners include:

  • The development of a new, more environmentally friendly lipase enzyme to control extractives at Saiccor Mill.
  • The design of a completely new ‘three layers in one headbox’ for paperboard packaging that combines good printability with high bulk and good creasability. This step-change technology was successfully applied to the rebuild of PM6 at Maastricht Mill, making it the only producer world-wide to use this novel concept for its packaging product range.
  • The design and implementation of a unique system in Sappi North America to image, analyse and decipher non-uniform patterns in coated paper that lead to off-quality production if not detected.