All three of JSE-listed pulp and paper company Sappi’s manufacturing regions – Europe, North America and South Africa – have, once again, achieved the highest possible platinum rating in the annual EcoVadis Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) ratings, which places the regions individually and Sappi collectively in the top 1% of the more than 90 000 companies in 160 countries assessed by EcoVadis.

“We are reducing waste, emissions and optimising material and resource use at every opportunity across the company. This rating recognises the positive impact of all our actions in 2022 and motivates us all to keep going,” explains Sappi Europe sustainability director Sarah Price.

“There is no endgame to our sustainability journey, and we can and must go further. Even with our high scores and platinum ratings, the value of the EcoVadis assessment is that it highlights areas for improvement,” says Sappi Group investor relations and sustainability head Tracy Wessels.

“Enhancing trust is one of Sappi’s key strategic fundamentals. We work to make every day more sustainable for people, communities and the planet. We demonstrate this through our tangible actions, our partnerships, through public reporting, by the group’s alignment with the United Nations Global Compact and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and, importantly, also through various assessments and verifications,” she adds.

Since 2021, EcoVadis assessments of CSR performance have been extending through Sappi’s value chain. Sappi is using the EcoVadis platform to assess the sustainability practices of its suppliers.

“Having undergone the rating process in all three of their regional entities and achieving platinum-level performance, Sappi is setting a great example for their suppliers to follow,” says EcoVadis chief marketing officer Emily Rakowski.

EcoVadis evaluates companies, across more than 200 buying categories, for their performance in terms of a total of 21 criteria, which, in turn, are divided into four general areas, namely environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.