On the 27th of February 2015, employees from Sappi Europe’s Headquarters in Brussels headed out to the Forêt de Soignes with a batch of 1,400 saplings, ready to be planted. A further 2,600 will be planted by Natuur en Bos on behalf of Sappi. This will bring to over 12,000 the number of trees replanted by the group since the initiative started 5 years ago.
Sappi’s employee-led tree planting initiative stated in Spring 2010 in association with ANB (Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos), the equivalent of the Department of Forestry. This organisation is responsible for the planting of approximately 30,000 trees in the Forêt de Soignes every year as part of the National Forest Management Plan (Belgium).
The tree-planting initiative is just one of a series of actions clearly showing that sustainability is at the heart of everything that Sappi does. Here at Sappi, we have chosen to be eco-effective. This is how we function both as people, and as a company, integrating our approach to business and the environment. Sustainability relies on each individual choosing to be responsible and engaging in regular sustainability related initiatives, no matter how big or small.
Jens Kriete is the Environmental Manager at Sappi Europe, “Sappi is a paper manufacturer and by producing our paper we make sure that forests are managed in a sustainable manner. It’s important that we take the time to go back literally to our roots. Through this team building exercice, not only do we reconnect with this fact, but we can also make the link between sustainability theory and practice.”
ENDS
