Sappi Cloquet Dissolving Pulp Facility Completes the Higg FEM Assessment

Sappi's Cloquet Mill in Minnesota achieved a final score of 91.5%, which reinforces and demonstrates the sound environmental practices employed by the mill.

Oct. 31, 2023 - Sappi has completed the Higg Facility Environmental Management (FEM) verification audit at its Cloquet mill in Northern Minnesota. The mill is one of the leading dissolving pulp facilities to complete this external verification process. A final score of 91.5% was achieved which reinforces and demonstrates the sound environmental practices employed by the mill.

Sappi's dissolving pulp is sold under the brand name Verve.

"As a global leader in dissolving pulp manufacturing, we are excited that our commitment to the sustainable manufacture of our Sappi Verve product is confirmed by the SAC Higg FEM results," said Tom Radovich, Managing Director of Sappi North America's Cloquet mill. "We have an increased focus on chemicals management practices as we move towards a more circular economy, addressing changing needs while managing our environmental footprint. The Cloquet Mill has always been a key part of our environmental stewardship and sustainability initiatives and we will continue to deliver relevant solutions and in the process, look for innovative ways to strengthen our position."

Cloquet received a verified score of 100% across energy, water as well as wastewater management highlighting the mill as a pocket of excellence in terms of resource efficiency and emission control.

Through structured focus, the facility plans on increasing scoring in the area of Chemicals Management in upcoming assessments.

About Higg FEM

Developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), the Higg FEM is part of a suite of tools that enables manufacturing facilities of all sizes to measure and score their environmental performance against a standard set of criteria, allowing for meaningful and credible performance benchmarking in the apparel and textile sector. Across topics such as water use, carbon emissions and waste management, the Higg Index can be used by consumer goods brands, retailers, manufacturers, governments, NGOs and consumers to inform their individual sustainability strategies and drive collective industry transformation.

Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, Sappi Limited has manufacturing facilities in nine countries — ten operations in Europe, three operations in America and five operations in South Africa. The company produces dissolving pulp, paper (specialty, packaging and graphic), paper pulp, and biomaterial products.

SOURCE: Sappi Limited