Sappi North America Opens 2021 'Ideas that Matter' Call for Entries

BOSTON, Oct. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sappi North America, Inc., a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper, packaging products and pulp, today opened its call for entries for the 2021 Ideas that Matter grant program. Established over 20 years ago, Ideas that Matter invites designers from around the world to show how print design can improve the lives of others.

This year, designers will be able to submit ideas that include paper packaging projects in addition to print and digital communications projects. Entrants are asked to align their submissions with at least one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and focus on addressing social, environmental, healthcare, and community issues. Sappi has made these goals an integral part of its business and sustainable practices.

"For over two decades through the Ideas that Matter program we've seen firsthand the power that design has to make our communities stronger and our lives better. These grants have always funded critical projects that address timely societal issues," said Patti Groh, Director of Communications. "By restructuring the program this year to align with the UN's SDGs we can ensure the projects we fund are going toward the greatest areas of global impact."

Ideas that Matter is the only grant program of its kind in the paper industry and is a key part of Sappi's corporate social responsibility efforts. Since 1999, the program has provided nearly $14 million to support over 500 projects that change lives, communities, and ultimately, the planet.

"We know that marketers consider all vehicles and mediums to communicate ideas for their clients and design changemakers are no different," said Groh. "By adding additional opportunities to address social issues through design, we're confident that even more innovative and creative ideas will surely come from this year's call for entries."

Selection Criteria and How to Enter

Ideas that Matter proposals are evaluated on creativity, potential effectiveness and practicality by an annually selected, independent panel of judges who are influential in the design industry.

This year's panel of judges include:

• Andrew Gibbs, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, The Dieline
• Libby Cole, Principal, The Work Department
• Gage Mitchell, Founder & Creative Director, Modern Species
• Bryony Gomez-Palacio, Co-Founder, UnderConsideration
• Dian Holton, Senior Deputy Art Director, AARP

The call for Ideas that Matter submissions is open to individual designers, design firms, agencies, in-house corporate design departments, design instructors, individual design students and design student groups. Grant awards range from $5,000 to $50,000 USD per project. Each application must include an IRS 501 (c) 3 letter or Canadian equivalent of the applicant's nonprofit organization. 

Entrants have until January 7, 2022 at 11:59p.m. PST to submit their application via the online portal.

To learn more about Ideas that Matter, visit: https://www.sappi.com/sappi-ideas-that-matter

About Sappi North America, Inc.
Sappi North America, Inc., headquartered in Boston, is a market leader in converting wood fiber into superior products that customers demand worldwide. The success of our three diversified businesses – high-quality graphic papers, pulp, and packaging and specialty papers – is driven by strong customer relationships, best-in-class people and advantaged assets, products and services. Our high-quality graphic papers, including McCoy, Opus, Somerset, and Flo, are the key platform for premium magazines, catalogs, books, direct mail and high-end print advertising. We are a leading manufacturer of dissolving pulp with our Verve brand, a sustainable fiber, which is used in a wide range of products, including textile fibers and household goods. We deliver sustainable packaging and specialty papers for luxury packaging and folding carton applications with our single-ply packaging brands, Spectro and Proto, and for the food and label industries with our specialty papers, LusterPrint and LusterCote. We are also one of the world's leading suppliers of casting and release papers with our Ultracast, PolyEx and Classics lines for the automotive, fashion and engineered films 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, Inc. is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Sappi Limited (JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with more than 12,000 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven countries and customers in over 150 countries.

SOURCE Sappi North America, Inc.