Europe

Sappi Europe announces a price increase for all its Packaging and Speciality paper grades by 7 – 11 % valid for deliveries from 1 April 2021.

Commenting on the group’s results, Sappi Chief Executive Officer Steve Binnie said: “I am pleased with the continued recovery in our results over the past nine months. EBITDA improved progressively from a low of US$26m in our third quarter of 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19 to US$98m for the first quarter of our 2021 financial year. I am confident that our recovery is on track despite the ongoing negative affect from COVID-19.”

Sappi Limited, a global forest products leader, is proud to announce that its South African division has been awarded the first ever Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) forest management certificate in South Africa.

Decreasing profitability combined with large, sudden cost increases, both in raw materials and logistics make a price increase unavoidable. Consequently Sappi have announced an increase of 8-10% in all European markets to be implemented at the latest by the 1st of March 2021.

The decrease in consumption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic continues to place strong pressure on prices. In combination with cost increases in paper production and transport this has continued to lead to unsustainable profitability levels, especially felt in our overseas markets.

Sappi Europe will introduce new barrier coating technology for functional paper packaging at its speciality mill in Alfeld, Germany, strengthening its position as the leading global provider of sustainable paper packaging solutions

Today, Sappi Maastricht and the Belvédère Wijkontwikkelingsmaatschappij (Neighborhood Development Company, WOM) of the Municipality of Maastricht have signed an agreement that will finalize the sale of the southwestern part of the Maastricht paper mill site to the WOM. The sale and subsequent purchase of this land creates a win-win situation for both parties as well as to the local area and will have no negative impact on employment at the Sappi site.

Sappi Limited has announced that Marco Eikelenboom, currently Vice President Marketing & Sales, Graphic Papers at Sappi Europe, has been appointed as CEO of Sappi Europe as from 1 April 2021.