A Letter From Sappi North America's Vice President of Research, Development, and Sustainability, Beth Cormier

Being the newly appointed Vice President of Research, Development, and Sustainability, I find myself very grateful for past efforts that enhanced our sustainability culture and the significant commitment Sappi demonstrates every day toward building a better company. 

I am impressed by the relentless nature of our fiber sourcing team toward ensuring our procured fiber comes from sustainably managed forests. I am also pleased with the ongoing work by our manufacturing sites to make business-smart choices that reduce emissions and the drive to get our suppliers involved in conversations about their supply chain. Reflecting on our 2020 Sustainability Report, I feel proud of the many highlighted accomplishments and the exciting stories that showcase our commitments. Although we did not hit all of our 2020 targets, much progress was made.

With all the challenges that the pandemic brought this year, our commitment to further integrating sustainability into our business processes and decisions does not slow. Key to this was the passion and drive our Director of Sustainability, Sandy Taft, brought to building more employee and customer engagement into our sustainability efforts. This year, we rechartered business process working groups covering fiber and material sourcing, mill operations, logistics, and communications. Our customer council, representing several markets, was equally impactful this year, providing insightful guidance on our goals and initiatives. In September, we held a sustainability ambassador assembly that showcased the excellent work being done within every function to support our sustainability goals: advocate and educate. All these groups are so vital to executing on our sustainability promises to our employees, customers, and communities, and I look forward to our continued work. 

With the close of the 2016–2020 five-year period, we established our next set of ambitious sustainability goals for 2021–2025. These goals continue with a focus on people, planet, and prosperity, but also expand on this framework with alignment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). In addition, the global commitment Sappi has made to the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) accentuates our sustainability focus, and we are excited to further benchmark our progress against these decarbonization targets. Coming from a research and development background, I am familiar with and very excited about Sappi’s prospects for utilizing our innovative spirit and strong competency in renewable resources to provide unique nonfossil-based solutions to the market.

Lastly, in support of the new 2025 sustainability goals, we have worked with SNA leaders to establish sustainability strategies by business, covering the graphics, dissolving pulp, packaging and speciality papers businesses. These strategies outline a significant commitment to employee wellbeing, communities, and customers, and I am so pleased to be a part of it. 

Read more from Sappi North America's 2020 Sustainability Report here.