Group overview

Adapt. Advance. Amplify.

Delivering sustained value

growexplore our theme

As a company based on the power of renewable resources, we are well placed to take lessons from nature: When plants grow too quickly and are not properly rooted, they become top heavy and prone to toppling over. Similarly, if there is not enough light, even though tall, they can become spindly and not fit for purpose.

So, while growth is one of our strategic fundamentals, our approach to it is purposeful and phased. This means being responsive to our environment and the impacts of constant change on our stakeholders. It also means being rooted in our legacy of innovation and excellence and grounded by our Thrive25 strategy. Accordingly, we leverage our existing strengths and grow our people to progress in high-impact, high-value areas. We also partner to shape new marketing opportunities and industry standards that will stimulate growth.

Above all, we recognise that growth can only be sustainable insofar as it supports the health and repair of the natural environment on which we depend. And it is only inclusive when value is shared and society is positively impacted.

This is our focus as we work to build a thriving world.

Responding to our context

illumeexplore our theme

Sky lanterns – traditionally called Khoom Fay in China – can be traced back thousands of years to one of the early Chinese dynasties. They were used not only as decorative light sources but also as military signals that could communicate messages across long distances. Today, it is said they are released at traditional festivals to emphasise the unity of family coming together to celebrate the lunar new year. This is represented by the lanterns collecting in the sky and expressing the wholeness of family.

Sappi is situated in many different regions across many different cultures and countries. But we come together as one whole, OneSappi, united by our purpose which is our guiding light: Sappi exists to build a thriving world by unlocking the power of renewable resources to benefit people, communities and the planet.

Passion and excellence are the sparks that ignite thriving. And they're what keep our commitment to create a thriving future for the world and our business burning so brightly. They're also what will continue to illuminate our way forward – today and tomorrow.

Diving deeper into our,
performance and prospects

createexplore our theme

We are creators, relentless in our drive to make everyday solutions more sustainable. We understand that the power of the imagination is one of our biggest strengths and that opportunities don't just happen. Which is why we apply our creative energy to seeking them out and leveraging our partnerships to realise them.

In doing so, we harness the intellectual curiosity and critical thinking of our people to let go of certainties and develop breakthroughs that delight our customers, enable lasting outcomes for our stakeholders and a more positive impact on the planet. This aligns with our values of "making smart decisions which we execute with speed". So that when we fail, we fail fast and move on.

While innovation is key to delivering profit and margin improvement, we do not create merely because we have the available manufacturing assets, skills, technology and IP.

We do so to lead by example, inspire others and create the thriving tomorrow to which we are committed.

Governance and compensation

reflectexplore our theme

Only in still waters do things reflect undistorted. As a business, we take the time to reflect on our past actions – including assessing our relationship with our stakeholders, particularly our people – to understand more clearly where we have succeeded, where we could have done better and how we can continue to build sustainable competitive advantage. This investment in reflection enables us to calibrate the solutions we provide and our response to the world around us.

As OneSappi, we understand that like dropping a stone into a pond creates outward ripples, in today's interconnected world, our actions and decisions can have a significant impact. For example, our decarbonisation actions alone cannot bring the world to net zero, but they can have a ripple effect that influences and encourages others.

Many people think of excellence as an upward journey, but at Sappi we view it as going round and round in ever-expanding, infinite waves. This view is reflected in the use of irregular waves which symbolise energy and unity used as a design element throughout this report and in the above image.

Going forward, we will continue to focus on excellence with energy and clarity and unity of purpose.

Appendices

celebrateexplore our theme

Any sporting great will tell you that, even if they are an individual performer, their wins are due not just to their own prowess, but also to the work taking place behind the scenes. Most specifically, their win also belongs to the team backing them up – from the coaches who are with them every step of the way; to those who believe in them, even when obstacles seem insurmountable.

As we celebrate an outstanding year, we readily acknowledge that it is the outstanding perseverance, collaboration and commitment of our extraordinary people that delivered the results. We do not forget that it took tremendous courage from our people to implement the decisions that ultimately delivered so handsomely.

Together, over the last few years, we have been through some challenging times. We have taken some tough decisions and have had to make difficult calls.

Our people have countered volatility with agility, setbacks with courage and problems with perseverance and ingenuity. Through it all, they have held the flag of OneSappi and our purpose of building a thriving world high.

Together, even as we celebrate what we have accomplished, we are committed to maintaining our momentum.

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About this report

Our Annual Integrated Report for the year ended September 2022 provides an overview of how we create value in terms of our purpose, vision and strategy. The report deals with key opportunities and risks in our markets as well as our performance against financial and non-financial objectives, together with our priorities and expectations for the year ahead. While the report addresses issues pertinent to a broad group of stakeholders, the primary audience is our shareholders. Our global and regional sustainability reports address the wider audience in more detail on key material issues. In addition to our Annual Integrated Report, we have included supporting appendices.

Integrated thinking and the 3Ps

We understand that the long-term sustainability of our business will only be ensured by delivering sustained value for our stakeholders. In understanding our value-creation process, we take an integrated approach, considering Prosperity, People and Planet (the 3Ps) – an approach that is aligned with the International Integrated Reporting Framework (IIRC) six capitals model.


ENSURING HOLISTIC VALUE CREATION

Value for Sappi is not only about delivering returns to our shareholders, it is also about maximising the value of every resource along our value chain to ensure those returns are sustainable. We recognise that our sphere of influence and impact extends beyond our mill gates.

Through this lifecycle approach that harnesses the power of the circular economy, we strive to minimise our negative impacts and increase our positive impacts on people and the planet, while securing sustainable profit margins.

We then measure value created, preserved and eroded in terms of our defined, holistic targets, as outlined and set out in the Business model.

SCOPE AND BOUNDARY

The scope of this report includes all our operations (refer to Where we operate). We aim to present information that is material, comparable, relevant and complete. The issues and indicators we cover reflect our significant economic, environmental and social impacts, and those we believe would substantively influence the assessments and decisions of investors.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

For important information relating to forward-looking statements, refer here.

At Sappi, we take a holistic view of value creation.

The materiality of the information presented has been determined on the basis of extensive ongoing engagement with our stakeholders and has been assessed against the backdrop of current business operations, as well as prevailing trends in our industry and the global economy (refer to Integrating our key material issues).

In preparing this report, we have tracked environmental findings and research, public opinion, employee views and attitudes, the interests and priorities of environmental and social groups, as well as the activities, profiles and interests of investors, employees, suppliers and customers, communities, governments and regulatory authorities.


OUR REPORTING SUITE

  • 2022 Sappi Annual Integrated Report

    www.sappi.com/annual-reports

    Frameworks

    • IIRC's International <IR> Framework
    • Companies Act, No 71 of 2008, as amended (Companies Act)
    • Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) Listings Requirements
    • King IV Code on Corporate Governance (King IVTM)1.

  • 2022 Sappi Group Annual Financial Statements

    www.sappi.com/annual-reports

    Frameworks

    • International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
    • Companies Act
    • JSE Listings Requirements
    • King IV.

  • 2022 Sappi Group Sustainability Report

    www.sappi.com/sustainability

    Frameworks

    • Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards
    • United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)
    • UN SDGs.

For up-to-date information, please refer to our quarterly results announcements and analyst presentations www.sappi.com/quarterly-reports


1 Copyright and trademarks are owned by the Institute of Directors in South Africa NPC and all of its rights are reserved.

ASSURANCE

We obtained external assurance on selected sustainability key performance indicators in our 2022 Sappi Group Sustainability Report. The independent practitioner's limited assurance report is included in the 2022 Sappi Group Sustainability Report. Our sustainability information is also verified by our internal audit team. Their verification process includes reviewing the procedures applied for collecting and/or measuring, calculating and validating non-financial data, as well as reviewing reported information and supporting documentation. In addition, most of our key operations undergo external verification including the Eco-Management Audit System in Europe, ISO 50001 energy certification in Europe and South Africa and globally, ISO 45001 environmental certification and ISO 9001 quality certification, as well as OHS 18001 and ISO 45001 health and safety certification.

We are also assessed in terms of the forest certification systems we use and, in South Africa, our broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) performance is assessed by an external ratings agency. In 2021 Sappi Limited was a constituent of the FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment Index.

Collectively, these external assessments and certifications, as well as interaction with our stakeholders, give us confidence that our performance indicators are reliable, accurate and pertinent. The Social, Ethics, Transformation and Sustainability (SETS) Committee is satisfied that the sustainability information presented in this report has been provided with a reasonable degree of accuracy.

For information on the combined assurance framework relevant to the disclosure in this report, and for the independent auditors' report, see Group Annual Financial Statements on www.sappi.com/annual-reports. This year's report does not include summarised financials. However, the full 2021 Sappi Annual Integrated Report with financials is available on www.sappi.com/annual-reports in interactive and PDF format.

BOARD APPROVAL

The Sappi Limited board acknowledges its responsibility for ensuring the integrity of the Annual Integrated Report and, to the best of its knowledge and belief, the 2022 Sappi Annual Integrated Report addresses all issues material to the group's ability to create and preserve value in the short, medium and long term, and fairly presents the group's integrated performance and outlook. The board believes that the Annual Integrated Report speaks to Sappi's use of and effect on the 3Ps (addressing value creation, preservation and erosion), aligned with the six capitals, and how the availability of these resources is shaping our business and impacting how we will create value in the future.

We believe that this report has been prepared in accordance with the Integrated Reporting Framework. The report has been prepared in line with best practice and the board approved the 2022 Sappi Annual Integrated Report on 9 December 2022.

Sir Nigel Rudd
Chairman		 Steve Binnie
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)