Renewable resource company Sappi has partnered with EcoVadis to evaluate and encourage its suppliers to meet the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
The partnership enables the South African company to work with its suppliers and focus on reducing its Scope 3 emissions. These emissions often account for over 70% of a businesses total emissions output, and due to the reliance on third-party partners, they are the most challenging to reduce.
Sappi is a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper, packaging products and pulp made from woodfibre-based renewable resources. The company has over 12,400 employees in 35 countries and produces over 5 million tons of paper a year.
In June last year, the company announced its own Platinum rating from EcoVadis across all three of its manufacturing regions – Europe, North America and Southern Africa. Putting Sappi in the top 1% of all reviewed companies, alongside others such as printing giant Epson and Swedish manufacturer SKF. It is now looking to implement the same methodology to its suppliers.
“Sappi’s purpose is to build a thriving world by unlocking the power of renewable resources to benefit people, communities, and the planet,” says Tracy Wessels, general manager, group head of sustainability at Sappi Limited. “By working together in partnership with EcoVadis and our valued suppliers, we can better identify risk, assess social and environmental performance, and encourage commitment to sustainable choices and the Sustainable Development Goals throughout our value chain.”
EcoVadis assesses sustainability performance on 21 criteria grouped into four categories: environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. More than 75,000 businesses use EcoVadis to evaluate, collaborate, and improve sustainability performance.
Sappi, like many others, has set the goal of net zero emissions across its operation by 2050. In 2022, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) approved the companies target to reduce carbon emissions by 41.5% per ton of product by 2030, as well as its commitment that 44% of its suppliers by spend have science-based targets by 2026.
