SAPPI
PROUDLY PRODUCING PAPER AND PULP IN KZN
Sappi Southern Africa is an integrated forest products company meeting the needs of domestic as well as international customers through a wide range of products. Sappi is one of the major economic contributors in KwaZulu-Natal, where the company operates a number of it business units. Part of the giant Sappi group, which employs almost 17,000 people worldwide, the pulp and paper producer has a very strong presence in KwaZulu-Natal with more than 3,500 permanent employees and literally thousands of contractors.
Sappi operates through three divisions:
CHEMICAL CELLULOSE DIVISION
Chemical cellulose, produced from wood fibres, is sold to converters for use in a wide range of consumer products such as fashion clothing, mobile phone screens, cellophane wrap, pharmaceutical, beauty and household products. Sappi is the world's largest manufacturer. Currently its Chemical Cellulose division supplies customers around the world from the Sappi Saiccor Mill in Umkomaas, KwaZulu-Natal. The increased worldwide demand for chemical cellulose and its myriad uses necessitated a major expansion in excess of R3 billion during 2009 and has enabled the mill to increase its annual production to approximately 800,000 tons of Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) chemical cellulose per annum. As almost 100% of Sappi Saiccor's production is exported to clients in Asia, Europe and North America, the project brings benefits to Sappi as a company, to South Africa's export economy and to KwaZulu-Natal as a viable base for industrial development.
PAPER AND PAPER PACKAGING DIVISION
Provides relevant and innovative products, services and support to customers through close collaboration and ongoing development. Products include paper pulp, newsprint, coated and uncoated fine papers, office and business papers, security and speciality papers, container board (used to manufacture cardboard boxes inter alia for the export of fruit) and packaging papers (used by the cement, pet food, agriculture and FMCG industries).
The fully integrated Sappi Tugela Mill in Mandeni consists of four paper machines with annual production of some 220,000 tons of Kraft pulp, 390,000 tons of Kraft paper and 130,000 tons of chemical pulp. Tugela Mill is located near the ports of Richards Bay and Durban which makes for easy access to global markets. Commissioned in 1954, the mill has played amajor role in leading packaging innovation in South Africa and is the only mill in the country to offer high performance container board packaging. This allows customers to develop lightweight boxes which retain their strength in cold storage conditions. Other products include virgin unbleached machine glazed Kraft and virgin unbleached extensible sack Kraft.
The Sappi Stanger Mill was established in 1976 and is ideally situated along the KwaZulu-Natal sugar cane fields as the mill uses the ready supply of bagasse (the fibrous residue of sugar cane) from the neighbouring sugar mill, making it the only paper mill in Southern Africa to manufacture coated paper from nonwood agricultural waste (post-industrial waste).
Every product produced at the Sappi Stanger Mill is manufactured according to the principles of Triple Green. The products adhere to environmental pillars, which underscore the company's commitment to long-term sustainability, minimise the environmental impact of paper manufacturing and assure end users that the procurement chain has been stringently monitored by independent environmental bodies.
SAPPI FORESTS
Supplies 70% of the wood needs of Sappi Southern Africa from 380,000 hectares of both our own and managed commercial timber plantations, currently with more than 34 million tons of standing timber. All its forestry resources are managed in a fully integrated sustainable manner and rests on the key cornerstones of ecological, social and economic sustainability. Sappi has attained ISO14001, ISO9000,OHSAS 18000, and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification, and has entrenched Sappi Forests firmly as leaders in the forestry industry.
