People
Social Impact
The communities beyond our fence lines are places we’re also proud to call home. Their prosperity is not just linked to our own but are places that we resolutely value with people we’re dedicated to uplift and support. The community investments we make reflect these beliefs. They are purposely designed to produce positive social impact that can enhance people’s everyday lives and the natural world.
Our approach is to partner with communities to jointly identify and leverage opportunities that both support community needs and align with Sappi’s purpose and Sustainability Charter. While each region has its own programmes, they conform to common themes. Naturally, forestry related activities are a core focus followed by environmental protection and conservation, education and community welfare.
As a company with South African roots globally headquartered in Johannesburg, the significant needs of this country have remained a focus for Sappi since our founding in 1936.
Sappi Khulisa
Our Sappi Khulisa tree-farming scheme, initiated in 1983, is an inspiring example of positive social impact and Creating Shared Value in South Africa. It’s an integral part of our woodfibre supply chain, enhancing security of fibre supply, while uplifting rural communities by equipping them to become sustainable participants in the forestry value chain.
At Khulisa Ulwazi (‘Growing knowledge’) centres, we offer training on core operational skills in forestry as well as safety, legal compliance and business management. Initially, only three farmers participated, working on eight hectares—today there are more than 4,100 farmers and nearly 1,000 micro-enterprises working more than 37,000 hectares of land.
Abashintshi
Long-lasting change comes from within individuals and communities. With this understanding, we launched the Abashintshi (’Changers’ in isiZulu) programme in 2015 to plant seeds of opportunity for positive change across KwaZulu-Natal. Together with partners, we train youth to mobilise their communities to develop themselves in line with the asset-based community development (ABCD) model.
Abashintshi are selected based on successful completion of high school studies and their leadership potential. They then embark on a series of regular training courses over a period of a year focused on life skills and self-development. Upon completion, Abashintshi return home and apply their new skills and passions in their communities.
Why do we send people to join the programme?
The programme underwent a major revamp, and no young people have been recruited since 2018. Recruitment is planned for 2026, with Sappi Foresters engaging local communities in the process. As there is no longer an implementing agency, we are currently finalizing the new approach.
Supporting small business and unemployed youth
Small business is the backbone of South Africa's economy, fuelling growth, sustaining workers in meaningful employment and providing vital services. With Sappi’s Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) programme, we identify procurement opportunities for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and provide capacity building programmes to enhance their competitiveness.
Sappi Skills Centres provide unemployed youth near our operations with vocational skills that help enable them to create local businesses…
Environment and conservation in South Africa
EcoStudy is an initiative Sappi is proud to support in communities near our mills in South Africa that ensures students receive meaningful education about the environment and sustainable development. One of the key objectives is to Illustrate the importance of biodiversity conservation in direct relation to the children’s own lives, encouraging learners to take practical responsibility for rehabilitating their own environment within the school grounds and their community.
Since establishing the Sappi Trails Programme in 2011, our plantations have been open for trail running and cycling in South Africa. Not only do we develop and improve these trails for the public to enjoy, we also train apprentices to gain skills in trail building and maintenance. The programme complements our work to enhance biodiversity which we achieve by leaving 30% of our landholdings unplanted, managing seven nature reserves and 160 important conservation areas on Sappi land.
Why do we send people to join the programme?
Since its launch at Sappi Southern Africa on Mandela Day in 2023, Show Your Heart has provided Sappi employees with meaningful opportunities to support the communities where we live and work. The programme enables staff to contribute their time, skills, and resources through company-organized service days, matched giving initiatives, and three annual volunteer leave days.
To date, over 800 employees have participated, dedicating approximately 2000 hours, to causes that support education, environmental sustainability, and community development. Through these efforts, we have positively impacted more than 9,000 beneficiaries, reinforcing our commitment to driving sustainable change.
By fostering a culture of volunteerism, Show Your Heart strengthens the connection between our employees, our business, and the communities we serve—ensuring a lasting, positive impact.
Connecting with our communities
Nearly two decades ago, Sappi recognized the need to create a platform that blended design excellence with a commitment to charity, leading to the birth of Ideas that Matter. Since its inception, the Ideas that Matter (ITM) grants have provided nearly $15 million in support of over 500 projects that have positively impacted lives, communities, the environment, and the world. We are incredibly proud of the transformative work that has emerged from this program, as our grant recipients are making measurable, positive changes across the globe.
ITM grant recipients have leveraged their funding to tackle a wide array of social challenges, including poverty, homelessness, disease, pollution, education, and much more. As we look to the future, we are revamping the program to address our evolving world and business needs. We acknowledge the increased demand for innovative solutions that enhance the wellbeing of our people, communities, and the planet.
While we update ITM, we continue to support the Employee Ideas that Matter (EITM) program, which was inspired by ITM. EITM operates in a similar fashion, but it focuses on supporting nonprofit and charitable organizations that are meaningful to our employees and their communities. Investments range from supporting food banks and children’s education to local health initiatives. Since its launch, the program has grown by 200%, funding more than 80 impactful programs.
We remain deeply committed to advancing positive change and will continue to invest in initiatives that make a lasting difference.
The Community Connection programme has been supporting our local mill communities in North America since 1998, addressing community needs in education, the environment, the arts, health and more. Our investments in the programme have provided over USD 2 million in direct funding to over 3,700 non-profit initiatives.
Our commitments to social impact
We take part in global forums to grow and enhance our social impact.
- Signatory to UN Global Compact
- Member of FTSE4Good
Sappi and the SDGs
Global 2025 Sappi Targets (FY19 Baseline)
Related Articles
Forest Certifications
At Sappi, we are committed to responsible forestry practices that ensure the sustainability of our planet's vital resources.
Reporting and data
We don’t just talk about sustainability at Sappi. We continuously measure and assess our performance against the targets we’ve carefully set, sharing the results for the world to see. Explore our reporting and the latest data from across our global operations.
Compliance and Governance
We don’t just talk about sustainability at Sappi. We continuously measure and assess our performance against the targets we’ve carefully set, sharing the results for the world to see. Explore our reporting and the latest data from across our global operations.