Employees Bring Their Charitable Ideas to Life

Through the structured Employee Ideas that Matter (EITM) program, Sappi North America employees bring their charitable ideas to life. For three years, employees have been applying for direct funding to benefit the nonprofit organizations that they are most passionate about, and the winners share $25,000 in corporate giving to support their selected causes. Funding can be used in many ways—from financing a project, sponsoring a trail cleanup, or providing new equipment or supplies.

In 2019, Sappi received applications for nearly 40 worthy causes around the country. The competition was tough, but in the end, 10 were selected.

“We truly value the effort that all of the applicants make to apply for the Employee Ideas that Matter program,” said Sandy Taft, Director of Sustainability. “EITM is strongest when it brings us together as a team and reminds us of our shared values to improve the communities where we live and work. Mike Vashon’s project at Somerset brought 37 employees together to build an outside reading space, a great example of how we can leverage our power together.”

Read more from Sappi North America's 2019 Sustainability Report here.