Sappi advocates for transparent, accountable, third-party audited supply chains to ascertain that the origin of the wood is always known and that it verifiably originates from responsibly managed forests.
Wood origin is key
Knowing the origin of woodfibre is a fundamental prerequisite for our responsible sourcing.
Sappi’s procurement teams in Europe, South Africa, the US and Canada follow rigorous supplier qualification processes and require stringent tracing practices and documentation of the origin of all woodfibre.
Wood and pulp suppliers provide evidence that all woodfibre is sourced from controlled, non-controversial sources in accordance with the FSC Controlled Wood Standard, as well as PEFC (incl. SFI in the USA and Canada) risk-based due diligence systems, and comply with the requirements of Sappi’s Group Woodfibre Procurement Policy.
Traceability and collection of reliable data are core elements of Sappi’s woodfibre procurement practices. All suppliers are requested to provide the wood origin information (country of harvest and, where applicable, sub-national region and/or concession of harvest) and a list of tree species at least annually and/or upon request.
Sappi’s mill-specific Wood Origin Declarations are available for all interested stakeholders here.
Certified supply chains
Forest certification systems with third-party verified forest management and Chain of Custody processes ensure that responsible forest management practices are implemented in the forest, and that woodfibre from certified forests can be identified throughout the supply chain.
Sappi’s mills are FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) certified since 2008, and all mills (except Stanger Mill and Lomati Sawmill) are also PEFC CoC certified, including SFI in the USA and Canada. This ensures 100% traceability of woodfibre to its origin.
Third-party certification bodies perform annual surveillance audits, while Sappi’s internal audit programmes cover all mills. Any detected non-conformities or improvement points are addressed with action plans to ensure continuous improvement of processes and procedures.
Committed to zero deforestation
For Sappi, ensuring zero deforestation is fundamental to protecting ecosystems, safeguarding biodiversity and responding to climate change.
Sappi neither harvests nor buys woodfibre which originates from tropical natural forests. Our commitment to zero deforestation means knowing the source of woodfibre and ensuring that suppliers implement practices to promptly regenerate forests post-harvest, which is required under the global forest certification standards that Sappi is committed to upholding. It also means implementing our Supplier Code of Conduct and Code of Ethics to continually assess supply chain, ethical and legal risk and not sourcing from suppliers associated with deforestation.
We implement rigorous due diligence systems to assess the risk of controversial sources, considering both geographic origin and supply chain aspects. We work to build transparent supply chains and maintain close relationships with our suppliers.
All products manufactured and sold by Sappi are compliant with the U.S. Lacey Act and European Timber Regulation (EUTR). Furthermore, woodfibre sourced for our products must originate from forests and plantations where operations comply with the provisions of the EU Deforestation Regulation in all impacted supply chains.
Over 80% of the woodfibre refined by Sappi’s mills in Europe originates from local, European forests. More than 85% of our woodfibre comes from certified forests.
About half of the woodfibre comes from pulpwood and chips, mainly sourced near our mills.Pulpwood comes mainly from thinnings, consisting of small-diameter roundwood too thin to be used in sawmills. Chips are a by-product of sawmilling. Sappi also purchases paper pulp from external pulp suppliers, mainly from Europe and the Americas.
Given that the use of local raw material makes both ecological and economic sense, most of the wood is sourced from local, managed forests in Finland, Germany and Austria where our integrated mills are located.
In Europe, Sappi does not buy roundwood directly from forest owners, but via long-term partner companies. In Germany, we procure wood mainly through proNARO, in Austria through Papierholz Austria, and in Finland via couple of established wood procurement and processing companies.
Like Sappi, all the wood and pulp suppliers are Chain of Custody certified. All woodfibre used at our European mills meets the requirements of the FSC Controlled Wood Standard and the PEFC controlled sources.
Wood-wise in Europe: 5- facts about sustainable sourcing
1. Local sourcing: We primarily source our wood locally within Europe, reducing our carbon footprint and logistics costs while supporting local economies.
2. Integrated mills: 60% of our woodfibre comes from Finland, Germany, and Austria, where our integrated paper mills are located.
3. Sustainable forest management: Sustainable Forest Management practices accompanied by forest certification systems are well-established and widespread in Europe. Most of the forestland in Europe is privately owned.
4. Chain of Custody and certification: All our wood and pulp suppliers hold FSC™ and/or PEFC Chain of Custody certifications; the share of certified wood is over 85%.
5.Diverse species: Sappi’s European mills use primarily domestic tree species such as pine, spruce, and beech. About 20% of the tree species sourced is eucalyptus (pulp).
Sappi’s mills in the United States located in Maine and Minnesota source wood and chips directly from public and private landowners, commercial loggers and local sawmills.
The Sappi Maine Forestry Program and the Sappi Lake States Private Forestry Program, staffed by Sappi’s own foresters, offer a wide range of services to landowners. Sappi’s staff monitor the implementation of best management practices on harvest sites to ensure adequate regeneration, conservation of soil and water resources, and adherence to harvest plan/s.
Through these specific programmes, we collaborate to ensure every tree harvested helps deliver high-quality timber to our mills, whilst creating a healthier ecosystem and thriving communities. Our teams of trained forest professionals work closely with landowners, helping them achieve their individual woodland goals – be it to improve forest health,
enhance wildlife habitats, boost recreational opportunities, or generate revenue.
The programmes collaborate with various landowners, including the federal government, state governments, land trusts, schools, colleges, and private landowners.
Sappi’s foresters carefully assess potential timber sources to ensure that harvesting will benefit the forest. We also check state and federal databases to avoid disturbing endangered or threatened habitats. Our forestry team supports landowners through silvicultural recommendations, harvest planning and layout, contractor selection, administration, timber marketing and best management practices to protect water and soil quality.
In Canada, Sappi’s Matane pulp mill, located in Quebec, procures from the Canadian provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick and from the Northeastern region of the United States, including the states of Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont
In South Africa, Sappi’s operations thrive on the strength of healthy and resilient own forests and tree plantations.
Sappi owns and leases over 400,000 hectares of land, which includes 139,000 hectares of unplanted natural areas for biodiversity conservation. The forests are certified by both FSC™ (FSC™ C012316) and PEFC (SA-PEFC-FM-001230).
In addition to the high level of self-sufficiency (over 60%) generated by our own tree plantations, the unique Sappi Khulisa enterprise and supplier development (ESD) programme and our work with South African land-reform beneficiaries also help enhance the fibre supply.
Sappi’s ongoing goal is to increase the amount of sustainably grown certified fibre supplied to our mills through responsible plantation management and continuous support to our contracted timber growers. As an anchor tenant in our surrounding communities, we create shared value by providing jobs and fostering economic growth and sustainable livelihoods.
Around 4.2 million tons of wood is harvested annually across our tree plantations. The harvest ages are much younger than in many other parts of the world, for example nine (eucalyptus) to 20 (pine) years. Mechanical operations are the preferred method, but in steep spots, we rely on manual harvesting.
Harvests are planned and phased carefully, considering where and when we work to minimise impact on the soil and environment.
Sappi uses the Remote Harvest Monitoring system which conducts near real time monitoring of harvested areas using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. The harvesting plans stick to the rules of FSC and PEFC certification systems and we’ve got special zones set up to protect riparian areas and indigenous forests.
Halting deforestation is critical
Halting deforestation is critical to combating climate change and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. FAO defines deforestation as the conversion of forest to other land use whether human-induced or not. It includes areas of forest converted to agriculture, pasture, water reservoirs, mining and urban areas. Deforestation is chiefly caused by the conversion of forest land to agriculture and livestock areas. Deforestation alone accounts for about 11% of greenhouse gas emissions.