Running in Austria for SOS Children’s Villages

Seeding and growing human potential is at the heart of sustainability at Sappi — beginning with our own people and extending to the communities where we operate around the world. In Europe, we are especially focused on programmes that support youth.

Gratkorn Mill has a history in paper production dating back over 400 years near Graz, the second largest city in Austria after Vienna. The mill’s over 1,200 highly skilled and motivated employees are diverse from countries around the world.  

Together, they wanted to find a creative way to support SOS Children’s Villages, an organisation that provides the world’s children growing up without adequate parental care with the support they need.  

Their solution in 2019 was a charity run where for every kilometre that employees ran, the mill made a donation to SOS Children’s Villages. Many employees made the race a family event, running alongside their partners and children. The initiative was an excellent opportunity to educate the community about SOS’s mission, as well enjoy the great outdoors with healthy sport.