When we set our decarbonisation targets in 2020, approval bySBTiwas the gold standard we were reaching for. The organisation is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
We knew that achieving this milestone would sharpen our focus, ambition and responsibility to decarbonise across our global business. Now, in 2022 with our target affirmed by SBTi that’s exactly what’s happening.
With decarbonisation plans in place for each of our regions, and investments flowing into emission reduction projects in mills, tremendous momentum is flowing across Sappi. We now have an even more clearly defined roadmap to illuminate the path to 2030.
Each region’s decarbonisation plan is based on a combination of capital investments in assets, process efficiency improvements and increased purchases of renewable energy.
“Realising these plans requires marshalling the expertise and creativity of our people like never before. But it’s a challenge that our teams are embracing with a spirit of eco-effective ingenuity that’s unique to Sappi.” – Tracy Wessels, Group Head of Sustainability and Investor Relations
This news is also accelerating our efforts to build a thriving world by unlocking the renewable power of wood fibre. Our responsible land and forestry management practices along with our pulp, paper and biomaterials provide value-adding solutions in a carbon-constrained world. Our R&D teams are showing that carbon-cutting breakthroughs in paper science are within reach today and getting even better tomorrow.
On this journey todecarbonise our businesswe are bringing together the brilliance of technology, the power of nature and the creativity of people. While this is an immense challenge, it is one we are embracing with enthusiasm and steadfast determination. Discover some of thebreakthrough projectsthat show our climate ambition in action!
This is an important milestone for our suppliers as well. Our suppliers play an essential role in our business, providing us with woodfibre and other materials and services with an indirect emissions impact (referred to as Scope III).
We’ll be vigorously engaging with them to create science-based targets of their own, striving towards our target of 44% by spend by 2026. Because the more suppliers we can inspire to decarbonise their operations in the value chain, the faster the world can mitigate the effects of climate change.
Equally, we recognise our responsibility to assist our customers on their own decarbonisation journeys. With SBTi approval, our reporting can better enable our customers to reduce their own Scope III emissions and fulfil other climate related commitments.
“We believe strongly that the full benefit for people and the planet can only occur if value chains collaborate and help each other.”– Steve Binnie, CEO Sappi Limited
This is also especiallyexciting news for our customers in South Africawhere as of 2022 we are only the fifth South African company to receive approval of science-based targets.
Our SBTi approved targets are part of Sappi’s much largerglobal and regional commitmentsto the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and are also reflected in our Thrive 25 strategy.