Sappi Southern Africa

Corporate Citizenship Report

What it’s about

We make strategic community investments in programmes that:

• Empower people to become self-sustainable, shifting the mindset to a 'can do' and 'will do' attitude
• Result in a broader positive impact to the community and not only individuals
• Result in a shared value approach, increase access and social mobility
• Educate and uplift our communities
• Are scalable and replicable
• Enhance our reputation.

Our rationale for investment in three key areas and how we plan to achieve this is set out below:

Economic development

1. Leverage spend to expand markets for transformed suppliers and communities

Growing spend firstly within local communities and municipalities, then the province, then the country.

2. Address security of supply risk for materials and services necessary for our production processes

• Promoting local economic development has now become a key sustainability issue
• Local supply of goods (fibre, etc) and services addresses this need, as well as the need for lower carbon footprint
• Ensuring suppliers meet the minimum requirements as per Sappi’s Supplier Policy

3. Empower communities in which we operate

• Developing local small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) through SMME hubs and incubation programmes
• Expanding Khulisa
• Creating an enabling environment for small businesses to do business with Sappi in line with economic and supplier development (ESD) strategy, policy and processes
• Partnering for greater impact

Skills development and employment

1. Build and secure local skills pools in disciplines relevant to Sappi operations (recruitment and SMME training)

• Building local skills through skills development programmes targeted at local youth and community members
• Providing Sappi skills development training in our mill and forestry communities

2. Set recruitment and skills development targets for local communities

• Partnering with various learning institutions in the private and public sector
• Setting targets for training and recruitment of locals who qualify and present required competencies
• Partnering with Government to ensure broader impact in skills development ‘beyond Sappi’

3. Secure access to Sappi bursaries and graduate programmes for local communities

Local community members taking up available bursary and graduate opportunities within the operations subject to company processes.

Uplift communities

1. Work closely with communities close to our operations

Working through the Integrated Community Forum to engage with communities in a structured platform.

2. Invest in programmes that have a positive social impact

• Conducting asset mapping audits to identify gaps in communities and determine potential investment areas, thereby ensuring that SI programmes are targeted, tailored and relevant to each Sappi operations community — no blanket approach but in line with social impact policy
• Invest in programmes that promote self-sustainability and create wealth — ABCD, Life Skills and Poverty Stoplight
• Empower local communities with enhanced education experiences — Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) and ECD

3. Ensure scalability and longevity in all our programmes beyond Sappi investment

Through the ABCD approach, finding partnerships within Government and the private sector, that will achieve a bigger and sustainable social impact beyond Sappi’s investment or involvement.