Page 107 - KZN Top Business Portfolio eBook -2024

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 board, which allows customers to develop lightweight

the manufacture of office paper and tissue wadding. boxes. These boxes which retain their strength in
The mill’s paper machine has a production capacity cold storage conditions, make them suitable for the
of 80,000 tons, while the tissue machine produces agricultural sector and they are used extensively in
around 30,000 tons per annum. It also produces South Africa, particularly for the citrus export market.
60,000 tons of bleached bagasse pulp for its own
consumption per annum. During 2012, the Tugela Mill joined Sappi Biotech as
a source of lignosulphonate, producing 25,000 tons
Stanger Mill is home to the well-known office paper per annum of lignosulphonate in powder form and
brand, Typek. This copier paper is an ultra-white multi- 35,000 tons per annum of liquid product. Used in the
purpose paper. It is also acid and lignin free, archive manufacture of ready-mix concrete, pelletising of
friendly and has been engineered for all types of office animal feed, pet food and fertilisers, the production of
equipment. The virgin fibre component is FSC™-certified ceramics and clay bricks as a binding agent and in road
and is derived from sustainable tree plantations. dust management and soil stabilisation applications,
Tissue wadding manufactured at the mill is made up our lignosulphonate product is an exciting addition to
of 60% bagasse. Sugar bagasse is a sustainable and the mill’s product range.
renewable resource. The tissue wadding is sold to We procure board and paper for recycling from an
converters who use it for the creation of industrial and extensive network of agents across the country. From
household tissue products. The mill has also expanded this source, the mill produces 60,000 tons of ReFibre for
to use bagasse in combination with pulp to produce its own consumption per annum.
compostable thermomoulded food grade utensils like
plates and bowls. Sappi Forests has access to 399,000 hectares of
owned and leased sustainably managed forests in
The Tugela Mill is situated in the town of Mandeni South Africa. All wood grown on Sappi-owned land
near the Tugela River on the north coast of KwaZulu- and a large proportion grown on plantations managed
Natal. The mill, which has been in operation since 1954, by us is Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC™)-certified.
produces 155,000 tons per annum of neutral sulphite Sappi Southern Africa Forestry was also awarded the
semi-chemical pulp (NSSC) for our own consumption first ever Programme for the Endorsement of Forest
and with a capacity of 200,000 tons per annum, produces Certification (PEFC) certification in South Africa.
a range of Ultraflute Plus and Ultraflex corrugating
medium manufactured from recycled and virgin fibre. Approximately 136,000 hectares of our land is set
aside and maintained by Sappi Forests to conserve the
These products lead the way in packaging innovation natural habitat and biodiversity found there, including
in South Africa, offering high-performance container indigenous forests and wetlands.

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