Sappi Southern Africa
Sappi, founded in 1936, is a leading global provider of powerful everyday materials made from woodfibre- based renewable resources. As a diversified, innovative and trusted leader focused on sustainable processes and products, we seek to support a more circular economy and to build a thriving world. With operations in four key regions: South Africa, Europe, North America and Asia, Sappi is powered by the expertise of more than 12,000 people.

Our product offering in SA includes dissolving pulp, packaging and specialities, newsprint, office paper, tissue sawn timber and biomaterials. We generate shared value in the communities in which we operate, by investing in skills training, enterprise supplier development, youth mobilisation, early childhood development and many other initiatives aimed at boosting employment and growing the economy.

Sappi in KZN
Saiccor Mill, situated 50 km south of the port of Durban in Umkomaas, is the company’s biggest production facility for Sappi Dissolving Pulp (DP). Acquired by Sappi in 1989, this signalled Sappi’s first entry into the global DP market.


The mill has the capacity to produce approximately 890,000 tons of elemental chlorine-free (ECF) DP per annum, mostly for the export market. Branded as ‘Verve’, a large percentage of the DP we produce at the mill is sold globally into the rayon – Viscose Staple Fibres (VSF) and Lycocell (solvent spun fibres) – markets for use in textiles.

As global textile demand grows, driven by population growth, fashion and rising wealth in developing and emerging economies, the need to develop more climate- friendly solutions, derived from renewable materials that are not fossil-fuel based, drives the increasing market share for viscose and Lyocell. Fabrics made from cellulosic fibres differ from other feedstock fibres in that they are breathable, absorbent, recyclable and biodegradable. In addition, they provide a unique and appealing look, feel and drape. DP can also be processed into products that are used in food and beverages, health and hygiene, wrapping and packaging, pharmaceuticals and many more applications that touch our daily lives.

Stanger Mill is unique in South Africa in that it uses bagasse (sugar cane waste) as its basic raw material in the manufacture of office paper and tissue wadding. The mill’s paper machine has a production capacity of 80,000 tons, while the tissue machine produces around 30,000 tons per annum. It also produces 60,000 tons of bleached bagasse pulp for its own consumption per annum.

Stanger Mill is home to the well-known office paper brand, Typek. This copier paper is an ultra-white multi- purpose paper. It is also acid and lignin free, archive friendly and has been engineered for all types of office equipment. The virgin fibre component is FSC™-certified and is derived from sustainable tree plantations.

Tissue wadding manufactured at the mill is made up of 60% bagasse. Sugar bagasse is a sustainable and renewable resource. The tissue wadding is sold to converters who use it for the creation of industrial and household tissue products. The mill has also expanded to use bagasse in combination with pulp to produce compostable thermomoulded food grade utensils like plates and bowls.

The Tugela Mill is situated in the town of Mandeni near the Tugela River on the north coast of KwaZulu- Natal. The mill, which has been in operation since 1954, produces 155,000 tons per annum of neutral sulphite semi-chemical pulp (NSSC) for our own consumption and with a capacity of 200,000 tons per annum, produces a range of Ultraflute Plus and Ultraflex corrugating medium manufactured from recycled and virgin fibre.

These products lead the way in packaging innovation in South Africa, offering high-performance container board, which allows customers to develop lightweight boxes. These boxes which retain their strength in cold storage conditions, make them suitable for the agricultural sector and they are used extensively in South Africa, particularly for the citrus export market.

During 2012, the Tugela Mill joined Sappi Biotech as a source of lignosulphonate, producing 25,000 tons per annum of lignosulphonate in powder form and 35,000 tons per annum of liquid product. Used in the manufacture of ready-mix concrete, pelletising of animal feed, pet food and fertilisers, the production of ceramics and clay bricks as a binding agent and in road dust management and soil stabilisation applications, our lignosulphonate product is an exciting addition to the mill’s product range.

We procure board and paper for recycling from an extensive network of agents across the country. From this source, the mill produces 60,000 tons of ReFibre for its own consumption per annum.

Sappi Forests has access to 399,000 hectares of owned and leased sustainably managed forests in South Africa. All wood grown on Sappi-owned land and a large proportion grown on plantations managed by us is Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC™)-certified. Sappi Southern Africa Forestry was also awarded the first ever Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) certification in South Africa.

Approximately 136,000 hectares of our land is set aside and maintained by Sappi Forests to conserve the natural habitat and biodiversity found there, including indigenous forests and wetlands.