Dear stakeholders
The Covid-19 pandemic has illustrated the fragility and interdependence of the global economy, sharpened the divide between the haves and have nots and highlighted our dependence on the environment. Against this backdrop, across the world there are calls to manage the consequences of the pandemic by building ‘back better’.
Now, more than ever, the words ‘Healthy Planet – Healthy People’ have meaning.
We welcome this approach, given that we have long been aware of the need to transform our business model into a more circular one, invest in our people and support local communities, while investing in and searching for innovative ways to leave the planet better than we found it.
A few examples of the actions we have taken in this regard include establishing our Sappi Biotech division some years ago to maximise the full potential of every tree harvested. We have continued to engage with our employees and other stakeholders and responded to their needs and concerns. We have also expanded our corporate social investment work to incorporate both shared value and social impact. In addition, we have committed to set science-based emissions reduction targets aligned with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), with each region establishing a decarbonisation map to accelerate progress.
Our commitment to a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable economy, together with these actions, among others, gave us the momentum to incorporate sustainability more fully into our recently launched Thrive25 business strategy: Sappi exists to build a thriving world by unlocking the power of renewable resources to benefit people, communities, and the planet.
In 2020 we closed off our previous set of 3P targets and set new 2025 targets under Thrive25. The indicators we selected are detailed throughout this report and are aligned with specific United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which we have identified as priorities and where we believe we can make a meaningful contribution to the 2030 global agenda.
Working collaboratively, with clarity and purpose, powered by agility and adaptability, I am confident we can achieve this.
Valli Moosa
Chairman
Social, Ethics, Transformation and
Sustainability (SETS) Committee