Climate change

Does Sappi use woodfibre from tropical forests?

We do not use woodfibre from tropical forests. Around 25% of global emissions come from the land sector, the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions after the energy sector. About half of these (5-10 GtCO2e annually) come from deforestation and forest degradation. Note, however, that forests are also one of the most important solutions to addressing the effects of climate change. Approximately 2.6 billion tonnes of CO2, one-third of the CO2 released from burning fossil fuels is absorbed by forests every year.

Are Sappi’s woodfibre sources part of the climate change solution?

Yes, they are. Certification gives our customers the assurance that our products originate in sustainably managed plantations and forests. Globally, 77% of fibre supplied to our mills is certified. The balance is procured from known and controlled sources. We use internationally recognised forest certification programmes that include: FSC Forest Stewardship Council.

• FSC Forest Stewardship Council
• PEFC Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.
• SFI® Sustainable Forestry Initiative® and other PEFC-endorsed systems.

In South Africa, all our owned and leased plantations are Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC™ N003159); and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification™ (PEFC/01-44-43) certified; 85% of the wood supplied to us is certified. In Europe and North America, we do not own plantations or land, but source woodfibre from landowners and commercial loggers. In Europe, 87% of fibre used is certified through FSC and PEFC, while in North America, 59% of fibre used is certified through FSC and SFI®, as well as from the Certified Logging Professional and Maine Master Logger programmes. 

What is Sappi doing to mitigate climate change risk?

Our most vulnerable assets to physical climate change are our plantations in South Africa. Our scientists have developed a high level of expertise in assessing physical climate change impacts. In South Africa, we own and lease 399,996 hectares (ha) of plantations, of which 261,605 ha are planted. The remainder is managed to conserve the natural habitat and biodiversity found there. This gives us a high level of control over our fibre sources. We moderate our exposure to climate change-related risk by:

• Maintaining wide genetic variability in our planting material enables us to breed trees for a range of conditions, allowing us to respond to climatic changes.
• Continually monitoring and reviewing forest best practices in the light of changing environmental factors, thus helping to mitigate any increased threat from drought.
• Measuring permanent sample plots annually (eucalypts), or bi-annually (pines), to determine the effect of drought and other climate change impacts on annual growth as an input to long-term planning.
• Engaging in research and collaboration with industry and tertiary institutions to develop biocontrol measures and breed genetically more resistant planting stock.
• Implementing extensive planting of more drought-tolerant eucalypt hybrids.
• Mitigating fire risks via an integrated Fire Risk Management System (FRMS), which categorises our risks and assigns a risk rating.
• Continually assessing the health of our growing stock. This is measured through evaluation of trees with emphasis on growth rate, age and utilisation efficiency. Annual measurement programmes using a pre-harvest measurement of 20,00hectares per annum (8%), as well as an airborne laser scan of all the plantations conducted every second year, together with analysis of growth trends and drivers from, for example, permanent sample plot programmes (PSP). Actual versus planned yields per compartment are used to continuously adjust the annual cut and detect emerging problems.

How else is Sappi mitigating climate change?

Our efforts to reduce our own carbon footprint are evident in the fact that over 53.9% of our global energy use is derived from renewable rather than fossil fuel sources. This is important, as the burning of fossil fuels releases ‘new’ CO2 previously locked up in the earth’s crust in the form of oil, gas or coal. When renewable energy like biomass is burned, the CO2 released is equivalent to that which was bound from the atmosphere during the process of photosynthesis – so, no ‘new’ carbon is being introduced.

Our aim is to enhance energy self-sufficiency, improve energy efficiency and decrease our reliance on fossil fuels. We are achieving this by making process changes, installing Best Available Technology (BAT) which is more energy-efficient, reducing purchased energy (electricity and fossil fuel) by increasing our use of renewable energy – an approach that ultimately results in a reduction in CO2 emissions.

Since 2000, when we instituted a system for measuring greenhouse gases (GHGs) based on the premise of measure, monitor, manage and mitigate, one of our key strategic goals has been to reduce our carbon footprint by improving energy-use efficiency and decreasing our reliance on fossil fuels.