Sappi North America Maintains Lowest Carbon Footprint Among Domestic Paper Companies

BOSTON, April 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Sappi North America, a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper and packaging products, today unveiled its 2014 Sustainability Report, detailing its achievements in producing and delivering products in innovative and environmentally responsible ways. Notable successes cited in the fourth annual report for the company's operations in North America include:

• The lowest reported carbon footprint among domestic competitors, thanks to a consistent focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy;
• Reduced the amount of fiber and raw material waste in paper-making operations by 14 percent over the 2011 baseline, two years ahead of target; and,
• Significant gains in its procurement of certified fiber, reaching its goal of 65 percent one year ahead of schedule.

"A corporate commitment to forest certification, waste reduction and a smaller carbon footprint are all very important, but it takes a committed and trained workforce to achieve measurable improvements in our business," said Mark Gardner, president and CEO, Sappi North America. "The fact that we continue to invest in developing and training our people is a key reason we achieve our sustainability and business milestones, including productivity and efficiency improvements."  The Company reports an average of 74 hours of training per person during 2014, a metric that includes both salary and hourly employees.

Consistent with Sappi's holistic approach to sustainability efforts across its manufacturing processes and product life cycles, the 2014 Sustainability Report details enhancements in the company's facilities and products, as well as impactful contributions made to surrounding communities during the fiscal year. For the first time, it also includes a comprehensive overview of its manufacturing process, detailing how Sappi utilizes materials efficiently and minimizes waste. The infographic is featured on page 38-39 of the Report and also can be found here.

"The concept of environmental responsibility has transformed lofty promises into tangible metrics since the first Earth Day in 1970," said Jennifer Miller, executive vice president of coated business and chief sustainability officer, Sappi North America. "We will continue to set ambitious, data-driven goals to minimize waste in energy, water and other raw materials, while driving sustainability beyond the gates of our mills to local communities, customers and industry partners."

Sappi's business diversification strategy is one factor that has accelerated investments in sustainable practices. For example, the company has made $23 million in capital investments at its Somerset Mill to take advantage of access to natural gas, resulting in higher energy efficiency, reduced operating expenses as well as reductions in GHG emissions as we displace fuel oil with natural gas.

Responsible sourcing of natural resources is also a key priority. Much of the sourcing improvement that Sappi achieved in 2014 was due to an increase in certified fiber use on the paper machines at its Cloquet mill.

More information on the company's efforts to achieve its regional five-year goals for 2012-2016 can found in Sappi North America's 2014 Sustainability Report.

About Sappi North America
Sappi North America, headquartered in Boston and a subsidiary of global pulp and paper group Sappi Limited, is the market leader in converting wood fiber into superior products that customers demand worldwide. The success of our four diversified businesses – high quality Coated Printing Papers, Specialised Cellulose, Release Papers and Specialty Packaging – is driven by strong customer relationships, best-in-class people and advantaged assets, products and services. Our high quality Coated Printing Papers, including McCoy, Opus, Somerset and Flo, are the key platform for premium magazines, catalogs, books and high-end print advertising. We are the world's largest manufacturer of Specialised Cellulose used in a wide range of products, including textile fibers and household goods, and the world's leading supplier of Release Papers for the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries. Our Specialty Packaging products, such as LusterPrint and LusterCote, represent an important asset in the food packaging and labeling industries. Customers rely on Sappi for high technical, operational and market expertise; products and services delivered with consistently high quality and reliability; and, state-of-the-art and cost-competitive assets and innovative spirit.

Sappi North America is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited (JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with more than 13,000 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven countries and customers in over 100 countries around the world. Learn more about Sappi at: www.sappi.com/na.

For further information:

Ed Cafasso
Burson-Marsteller
Office:  646-421-8108
[email protected]

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SOURCE Sappi North America

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http://www.sappi.com/na