SOUTH African paper and pulp multinational, Sappi, which marks its 85th anniversary this year, celebrated Heritage Day recently by spotlighting its diverse workforce and reaching out to local communities.
Starting out as the South African Pulp and Paper Industries with its first acquisition – a company that made paper from straw at the Enstra Paper mill in Springs 1936 – Sappi Limited has grown into a leading global provider of everyday materials made from woodfibre-based renewable resources.
“Growing human potential is at the heart of sustainability at Sappi — beginning with our own people and extending to the communities where we operate,” the company said in a statement.
“Within our own operations we celebrated Heritage Day at all our business units by inviting our employees to dress in their traditional outfits, or to wear something that represented what they celebrated about South Africa and its culture.”
The result, according to the company, was several cheerful and light-hearted gatherings (within COVID restrictions) where people could enjoy and share in acknowledging and appreciating each other’s cultures and traditions and a video which brought it all together in one message.
Sappi Forests also reached out to is neighbouring communities and continued with its porridge donations to creches and schools in the area.
“The ECD practitioners, who received their Sappi-sponsored training at TREE (Training & Resources in Early Education) at the Masibambisane Crèche near Richmond in KwaZulu-Natal were delighted to receive the much needed porridge from Sappi whilst the young children were enjoying their Heritage Day celebrations.”
